3   1822  01183   1468 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  SAM 
LA  JOLLA,  CALIFORNIA 


PS 


3   1822  01183   1468 


.0163 

A13 


THE  MAN  WHO  ENDED  WAR 


THKRF.'S  RF.GNIF.R!"   i  .CRIED,  POINTING  AT  THE  WINDOW. 

\_Front is/>iece.     See /i.  277. 


THE   MAN    WHO 
ENDED    WAR 


By 
HOLLIS,  GODFREY 


Illustrated  from  drawings  by 

CHARLES    GRUNWALD 


BOSTON 

LITTLE,  BROWN,  &  COMPANY 
1908 


Copyright,  jyoS, 
BY  LITTLE,   BROWN,   AND   COMPANY. 


All  rights  reserved 


Published  September,  1908 


COLONIAL   PRESS 

Electrotyfied  and  Printed  by  C.  H.  S intends  &•  Co. 
Boston,  U.S.  A. 


TO 


Mitt 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


"THERE'S  REGNIER!"  I  CRIED,  POINTING  AT 

THE  WINDOW  .  Frontispiece 

THE    OFFICER    RAISED    HIS    LANTERN   TWICE          .          .       Page  30 

THE  SEARCH  -  LIGHT  OF  A  WARSHIP  WAS  PLAYING 

CONSTANTLY  ON  US "  122 

I    FOUND    MYSELF    COUNTING   ALOUD      ....  "    247 


THE   MAN 
WHO   ENDED    WAR 


CHAPTER   I 

THE  Secretary  of  War  ended  his  statement. 
"  That  is  all  there  is  to  tell,  gentlemen,  concerning 
the  building  of  the  new  transports." 

I  had  closed  my  notebook  and  was  rising,  as 
Ordway,  the  private  secretary,  entered. 

"  May  I  give  the  correspondents  that  freak  letter 
that  came  this  morning?"  he  asked.  His  chief 
nodded  indulgently  and  left  the  room.  I  opened 
my  notebook  expectantly. 

*  This  is  a  very  serious  matter,  and  a  great  piece 
of  news,"  Ordway  remarked  in  a  mock  grandiose 
manner.  "  It  is  a  declaration  of  war  against  the 
civilized  world  in  the  interests  of  peace."  He 
threw  himself  into  an  oratorical  posture  and 

ran: 


2  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

"  To  the  United  States  of  America  and  to  all 
other  nations  —  Greeting !  " 

"  Whereas  war  has  too  long  devastated  the 
earth  and  the  time  has  now  come  for  peace,  I,  the 
man  destined  to  stop  all  war,  hereby  declare  unto 
you  that  you  shall,  each  and  all,  disarm ;  that  your 
troops  shall  be  disbanded,  your  navies  sunk  or 
turned  to  peaceful  ends,  your  fortifications  dis 
mantled.  One  year  from  this  date  will  I  allow  for 
disarmament  and  no  more.  At  the  end  of  that 
time,  if  no  heed  has  been  paid  to  my  injunction,  I 
will  destroy,  in  rapid  succession,  every  battleship 
in  the  world.  By  the  happenings  of  the  next  two 
months  you  shall  know  that  my  words  are  the 
words  of  truth. 

"  Given  under  my  hand  and  seal  this  first  of 
June,  19 — 

"  Signed  — 

"  THE   MAN  WHO  WILL   STOP  ALL  WAR." 

Ordway  ceased  and  a  laughing  clamor  rose. 
'  The  biggest  crank  yet."  "  Where  was  it 
mailed  ?  "  "  I  thought  you  said  you  had  some 
thing  really  good  this  time."  "  Do  you  suppose 
he  sent  it  to  any  other  country  than  the  United 
States  ?  " 

Ordway  raised  his  hand  for  a  hearing  and  replied 
to  the  last  question.  '  The  letter  was  mailed  from 
London,  and  w^s  sent  to  other  countries.  I  read 


The   Man  Who   Ended  War  3 

the  missive  to  one  of  the  English  attaches  when  it 
came,  and  he  looked  the  matter  up.  This  notice 
has  been  sent  to  all  the  foreign  chancelleries,  as 
well  as  the  departments  of  war  and  of  the  navy. 
It  has  been  done  in  such  a  wholesale  fashion  that  I 
thought  you  could  use  it  for  a  column  anyway." 

"  But  is  it  such  a  fool  idea  ?  "  asked  Reid,  one 
of  the  older  correspondents.  "  Couldn't  a  man 
build  a  submarine  in  which  he  could  run  amuck 
and  destroy  battleship  after  battleship,  something 
as  old  Jules  Verne's  Captain  Nemo  did  ?  " 

"  Not  to-day,"  said  Ordway  emphatically. 
"  The  new  armor  of  the  last  years,  with  its  per 
manent  torpedo  nets,  has  stopped  all  that.  The 
only  way  you  can  destroy  a  modern  battleship  is 
by  ramming,  or  by  another  battleship.  The  day 
of  the  torpedo  boat  and  of  the  submarine  ended 
almost  as  it  began." 

"  Well,"  said  Reid  argumentatively,  "  why 
couldn't  a  man  have  a  battleship  ?  Any  one  of  five 
hundred  men  living  to-day  could  afford  it." 

"  No  battleship  could  be  built  by  a  private  citi 
zen  without  some  nation  knowing  it  and  stopping 
it,"  said  Ordway  seriously.  "  It  takes  months, 
reaching  into  years,  to  build  one.  It  takes  skilled 
naval  constructors,  hundreds  of  workmen  and 
thousands  of  tons  of  material  that  must  be  bought 
in  the  markets  of  the  world." 

"  Let's  see  the  paper  it's  written  on,"  I  said. 


As  I  held  the  message,  Reid  looked  over  my 
shoulder  and  read  for  a  moment.  Then,  turning, 
he  cried,  "  Come  over  here,  boys,  and  look  at  this  a 
little  more  closely.  That's  old  parchment,  just 
like  that  of  some  of  those  papal  bulls  in  the  glass 
cases  over  in  the  library." 

As  he  spoke  a  sudden  remembrance  flashed 
across  me.  "  Anybody  got  a  microscope  around 
here  ?  "  I  asked  quickly. 

"  There's  a  reading  glass,"  said  Ordway,  and 
opening  a  drawer  he  handed  one  to  me.  I  took  the 
paper  to  the  sunlit  window,  and  began  examining 
it  closely  with  the  lens.  The  rest  watched  me  curi 
ously.  At  last  I  shook  my  head.  "  No  use,"  I 
exclaimed.  "  I  thought  I  had  a  clue,  but  it  didn't 
pan  out.  There's  a  good  story  though,  without 
anything  more.  Here,  Ordway,"  and  I  handed 
back  the  letter. 

The  other  correspondents  moved  away,  seeking 
fresh  fields  for  copy,  but  I  lingered  a  moment  as 
John  King,  my  classmate  at  Columbia  and  my 
good  friend,  stepped  forward  to  bid  Ordway  good 
bye.  As  I  watched  his  deeply  lined,  melancholy 
face  and  his  emaciated  form,  I  wondered  if  wealth 
had  not  come  to  him  too  late. 

"  Good-bye,  Ordway,"  said  John.  "  This  is 
the  last  you'll  see  of  me.  I'm  through  with  the 
daily  grind  at  six  o'clock  to-night." 

"  I'm  sorry  to  hear  that  in  one  way,  King,"  said 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  5 

Ordway  gravely.  "  I  felt  last  year  when  you  went 
abroad  that  you  were  running  down  hill  and  I  ex 
pected,  when  I  heard  you  had  come  into  your 
uncle's  money,  that  you  would  pull  out.  What  are 
you  going  to  do  ?  " 

"Oh  !  I  shall  travel  again  fora  bit,"  replied  John. 

'  There  are  some  things  I  want  to  do  before  I  get 

through  with  this  old  earth,  if  I  am  to  get  through." 

"  You'll  be  all  right,"  answered  Ordway.  "  I 
only  wish  I  had  your  chance.  There's  my  bell 
now.  You  see  how  it  is  —  tied  like  a  slave  to  the 
wheels  of  the  chariot,  etc.  But  good  luck,  anyway, 
and  good-bye." 

He  gave  John  a  friendly  grasp,  and  as  he  turned 
away,  threw  the  massive  folded  sheet,  which  he 
still  held,  into  the  waste  basket.  "  I  guess  we  won't 
file  that  with  the  state  documents,"  he  said  laugh 
ing.  "  Good-bye,  and  good  luck  once  more." 

We  parted  and  John  and  I  started  down  the 
corridor.  We  had  gone  but  a  few  steps  when  ex 
claiming,  "  There,  I've  left  my  stick,"  I  turned 
swiftly  back,  recovered  the  letter  from  its  place  in 
the  waste  basket,  and  emerged  with  my  cane. 
Silently  we  walked  down  the  broad  avenue  until, 
just  before  we  reached  my  office,  I  turned  sharply. 

"  Come  in  here,"  I  said,  dragging  John  into  a 
cafe.     We  sat  down  at  one  of  the  small  tables. 
*  You  used  to  do  the  Smithsonian  and  scientific 
stories  for  your  paper,  didn't  you  ?  "  I  asked. 


6 

John  was  sitting  staring  into  vacancy.  He  paid 
no  attention  to  my  question  and  I  repeated  it  twice 
before  he  turned  nervously  with  a  shake  of  the 
head  and  asked  sharply,  "  What  is  it  ?  " 

I  repeated  the  question  once  more. 

"  Yes,"  he  said  abstractedly. 

"  Well,  who  do  you  know  that  owns  any 
radium  ?  " 

He  thought  for  a  moment  and  said  slowly, 
"Why,  the  Smithsonian  people  have  a  little,  of 
course,  and  there's  some  in  half  a  dozen  places  in 
the  city." 

"  But  from  whom  could  we  get  some  most 
easily  ?  "  I  inquired. 

"  Oh  !  I  know,"  he  answered.  "  Dorothy  Hal- 
dane  has  some.  She's  here  in  Washington  working 
with  part  of  her  brother's  radium,  and  she's  with 
her  cousin  Mrs.  Hartnell." 

:<  Who's  Dorothy  Haldane  ?  Any  relation  to 
Tom  Haldane  who  was  just  ahead  of  us,  the  chap 
who  went  into  the  Physical  Laboratory  at  Col 
umbia  and  who's  doing  private  research  now  ?  " 

"  His  sister.  She  is  Barnard  A.  M.,  and  his 
research  assistant." 

"  Regular  bluestocking,"  I  remarked  with  some 
dislike,  for  the  learned  research  woman  never  ap 
pealed  to  me. 

"  Oh,  no,"  said  John.  "  Not  at  all.  She  is  one 
of  the  prettiest,  nicest  girls  I  ever  knew." 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  7 

"  Any  feeling  about  your  remarks,  John  ?  "  I 
said  hopefully. 

"  Of  course  not,"  he  answered  with  some  irrita 
tion.  "  There'll  never  be  any  more  feeling.  Since 
Anna's  death  there  can't  be.  I  know  you'll  like 
Dorothy,  though.  What  do  you  want  her  radium 
for?" 

"  There's  just  a  chance  that  I  may  have  a  scoop, 
and  if  you'll  take  me  up  there  to-night  1 11  let  you 
in." 

"  I'll  take  you  up  there,"  said  John,  "  but  you 
can  have  your  scoop  to  yourself.  For  the  last  word 
of  copy  I  ever  write  will  be  in  print  before  we  call." 

That  afternoon  came  an  unexpected  Cabinet 
change.  For  hours  I  interviewed,  and  wrote, 
telephoned  and  telegraphed,  reaching  my  room  at 
half  after  eight,  to  find  John  just  ready  to  leave 
without  me.  He  had  written  the  story  of  the  man 
who  was  to  stop  all  war,  only  to  see  it  killed  by 
more  important  news.  His  experience  had  been 
that  of  every  man  in  the  secretary's  office,  a  com 
mon  fate  in  the  crowding  rush  of  newspaper  life. 
I  had  never  seen  John  more  distrait  than  that 
night,  and  we  walked  up  to  the  Hartnells*  in  utter 
silence. 

I  so  completely  expected,  despite  John's  assur 
ances,  to  find  a  stooping,  bespectacled  student  type 
inside  the  Hartnells'  door,  that  the  girl  who  rose 
as  I  entered  gave  me  a  sudden  shock  of  amazement 


8  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

and  delight.  She  was  the  sunniest,  daintiest  type 
of  American  girl  you  could  meet  the  country 
through.  Her  mobile  face  was  lit  with  glowing 
life  and  interest  in  the  world  around.  Her  fine 
firm  form  showed  no  trace  of  scholastic  life. 
Her  laugh  was  like  rippling  water.  Her  eyes 
held  the  fine  deep  beauty  of  a  summer's  night. 
With  her  was  a  dark  and  clear-cut  Southerner  who 
was  introduced  to  me  as  Richard  Regnier.  The 
talk  went  hither  and  thither  until  John  broached 
my  search  for  radium. 

"  What  is  your  need  of  radium,  Mr.  Orring- 
ton  ?  "  said  Miss  Haldane. 

I  hesitated  for  a  moment  and  John  broke  in. 
"  Don't  be  afraid  of  Regnier,  Jim.  He's  no  news 
paper  man.  He's  a  reformer  like  myself.  We're 
co-members  of  the  Tuberculosis  League  and  the 
Civic  League  and  the  Peace  Society.  Now  what's 
up  ?  You  haven't  told  me  yet." 

So  urged,  I  told  the  story  of  the  morning  and 
brought  forth  the  heavy  parchment  which  I  had 
retrieved  from  the  waste  basket.  Regnier  sat  im 
mobile  during  the  whole  tale,  though  Dorothy 
broke  into  it  with  pointed  questions  a  dozen  times. 

4  That's  what  I  want  the  radium  for,"  I  said  in 
ending. 

"  But  what  has  radium  to  do  with  that  letter  ?  " 
asked  John. 

'  Just  this,"  I  replied.    "  As  you  may  have  seen, 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  9 

I  held  that  letter  to  the  light  under  a  reading  glass, 
which  acted  as  a  burning  glass,  for  some  minutes. 
I  was  looking  for  invisible  ink,  which  could  be 
brought  out  by  heating.  I  didn't  find  any,  but  as 
I  turned  away,  the  paper  came  for  a  moment  into 
the  shadow  and  I  saw  a  slight  gleam  like  the  glim 
mer  of  phosphorescence  on  water.  Now  last  year 
I  met  an  old  scientist,  Von  Meyren,  who  happened 
to  mention  that  he  had  found  that  certain  inks 
which  had  been  used  for  parchments  in  olden  times 
held  a  substance  which  becomes  phosphorescent 
when  exposed  to  radium.  He  got  a  second  letter 
in  that  way  once,  from  beneath  a  message  one  of 
the  Popes  sent  to  a  king  of  France.  You  see  parch 
ment  was  and  is  expensive,  and  hard  to  get.  They 
used  the  same  piece  over  and  over  again,  removing 
the  old  inks  by  scraping  or  dissolving.  Somehow 
the  radium  brought  out  the  stuff  that  had  been 
apparently  removed.  When  Reid  said  '  Papal 
Bulls  '  it  gave  me  an  idea.  It  is  barely  possible 
that  the  man  who  wrote  the  letter  might  have 
written  something  on  that  piece  of  parchment  be 
fore  and  then  erased  it.  I  thought  I'd  try  radium 
on  the  chance.  There  may  be  nothing  in  it,  but  it 
will  do  no  harm,  will  it,  Miss  Haldane  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no,"  said  Miss  Haldane.  "  I  have  some 
of  my  brother's  radium  right  here.  I'll  bring  it 
down  and  we'll  expose  the  letter  to  it." 

A  moment  later  she  returned,  this  time  with  her 


10  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

cousin  Mrs.  Hartnell.  "  Now  we  will  darken  the 
room,"  she  said,  holding  out  a  small  lead  case  with 
hinged  cover,  "  and  try  this  wonder  worker.  But 
you  must  not  move  from  your  places.  If  you  get 
in  the  way  of  the  rays,  you  are  likely  to  be  badly 
burned." 

We  were  grouped  in  a  semi-circle  before  a  bared 
table  whereon  was  placed  the  open  letter  in  a 
holder,  confronted  with  the  leaden  casket.  I  was 
given  the  place  of  honor,  directly  in  front,  and  Miss 
Haldane  put  her  chair  beside  mine.  Carefully  she 
opened  the  hinged  door  in  the  front  of  the  radium 
holder,  stepped  to  the  switch,  threw  off  the  electric 
light,  and  came  to  sit  beside  me. 

We  waited  in  perfect  silence,  our  eyes  bent  on 
the  blackness  before  us.  I  could  hear  her  regular 
breathing,  I  could  feel  the  brush  of  her  skirt  as  she 
leaned  forward,  and  I  forgot  all  else,  —  the  noise 
of  the  city  without,  the  audience  within,  both  dis 
appeared  from  my  consciousness.  There  was  but 
a  vast  rolling  ocean  of  blackness,  and  she  and  I, 
bound  by  a  swiftly  tightening  chain,  were  being 
dragged  closer  and  closer  together.  Old  Von 
Meyren's  pet  saying,  "  Love  !  Pah  !  What  is  it  but 
an  excess  of  positive  electrons  in  a  certain  man, 
urging  him  towards  the  negative  electrons  in  a  cer 
tain  woman  ?  "  kept  ringing  in  my  ears,  the  while 
I  indignantly  refuted  it.  Again  and  again  it  per 
sisted,  and  with  it  came  the  thought  that  the  waves 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  11 

from  the  radium  were  the  chain  which  bound  us. 

I  had  forgotten  the  letter  utterly  when  suddenly 
I  heard  a  slight  catch  in  the  regular  breathing 
beside  me,  and  a  soft  warm  hand,  raised  swiftly, 
brushed  mine  for  a  moment  as  it  was  raised.  The 
sharp  thrill  shook  me  into  consciousness.  I  looked 
before  me,  and  there,  glimmering  into  light,  a 
single  curve  came  from  the  darkness,  then  a 
straight  line,  then  appeared  a  large  U.  One  by 
one  letters  filled  out,  whole  words  appeared,  — 
"  United  States  "  first,  "  Juty  "  second,  and  a 
single  capital  "  I  "  next.  Word  after  word  ap 
peared.  Half  lines  filled  into  sentences.  I  could 
hear  behind  me  a  quick,  almost  sobbing  breath 
that  half  penetrated  my  mind,  but  leaning  forward 
close  beside  was  Miss  Haldane.  At  last  in  a  clear 
low  voice  she  began  to  read,  "  I,  the  man  who  will 
stop  all  war,  hereby  declare  that  I  will  destroy  one 
battleship  of  the  United  States  during  the  first  week 
of  July,  19 — ,  one  battleship  of  England  during  the 
second  week  of  July,  19 — ,  one  battleship  of  France 
during  the  third  week  of  July,  19 — ,  one  battleship 
of  Germany  during  the  fourth  week  of  July,  19 — . 
I  shall  follow  that  destruction  by  sinking,  in  regu 
lar  order,  one  battleship  of  each  of  the  other  great 
powers.  May  the  Lord  have  mercy  on  the  souls  of 
them  who  suffer  for  the  cause  of  peace  !  " 

She  stopped  and  we  waited,  watching  the  glow 
ing  signal  for  what  seemed  hours,  for  what  was 


12  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

minutes.  No  more  appeared,  though  the  bright 
ness  of  the  words  of  the  second  message  did  not 
dim.  At  last  Miss  Haldane  rose  and  with  a  quick 
movement  turned  on  the  lights  and  shut  the  cover. 
The  letter  returned  to  its  former  appearance.  I 
sat  blinking.  Regnier  still  sat  immobile.  John 
held  his  face  in  his  hands.  Mrs.  Hartnell  sat  with 
closed  eyes. 

"  Do  you  believe  it  ?  "  I  asked  Miss  Haldane 
quickly. 

She  nodded  gravely.  "  It's  what  he  means  to 
do,"  she  said.  "  He  wrote  it  that  way  first,  and 
then  erased  it  and  made  it  general  afterwards." 

"  I  don't  believe  it,"  said  Mrs.  Hartnell,  sharply. 
"  It's  impossible." 

"  It  certainly  doesn't  seem  probable,"  said  John, 
at  last  raising  his  face.  Regnier  alone  did  not 
speak. 

For  a  moment  we  were  silent,  each  busy  with 
the  thoughts  the  message  had  roused  within  him. 
At  last  I  rose  with  an  effort.  "  Good-night,  Miss 
Haldane,"  I  said,  "  I  thank  you  for  your  help." 

!<  I  am  very  glad  you  brought  the  letter  to  me," 
she  said  simply,  "  I  am  going  back  to  New  York 
to-morrow  so  I  cannot  ask  you  to  call  upon  me 
here,  but  if  you  are  in  New  York  won't  you  come 
and  see  me  and  give  me  any  news  you  may  have 
of  this  threatening  peril  ?  " 

'  I  shall  be  only  too  glad  to  do  so,"  I  responded, 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  13 

my  heart  bounding.  I  had  reached  the  door  when 
Miss  Haldane  called  after  me.  "  Oh,  Mr.  Orring- 
ton,  would  you  be  willing  to  let  me  have  the  letter  ? 
I  should  like  to  show  it  to  my  brother.  I'll  send  it 
to  you  any  time  you  wish." 

"  Certainly  you  may  have  it,"  I  replied,  and  I 
handed  her  the  parchment. 

Regnier  left  the  house  with  John  and  me.  We 
walked  in  silence  to  the  corner  where  Regnier 
turned  off.  As  we  parted,  he  hesitated  for  a  mo 
ment. 

*  You  were  strangely  right  in  your  surmise,  Mr. 
Orrington,"  he  said  slowly.  "  I  am  very  glad  to 
have  been  present  at  so  curious  an  event." 

"  Queer  chap  Regnier,"  said  John  musingly,  as 
we  watched  the  retreating  form.  "  Clever  scien 
tist  and  good  fellow,  but  queer.  I  hope  he'll  never 
get  Dorothy  Haldane.  She  wouldn't  be  happy 
with  him." 

My  heart  sank  like  lead.  "  Do  you  think 
there's  much  chance  that  he  will  ? "  I  queried 
anxiously. 

'  To  tell  the  truth,"  answered  John  slowly,  "  I 
don't  know."  We  had  come  by  this  time  to  the 
door  of  John's  hotel.  "  I'm  not  going  to  ask  you 
up  to-night.  Jim,"  he  said,  "  I'm  utterly  fagged 
out  and  exhausted.  Besides,  I  must  get  off  early 
in  the  morning.  So  good-night  and  good-bye 
both." 


14  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

He  paused  and  I  could  see  the  muscles  of  his 
face  twitching  and  his  hands  nervously  clasping. 
He  went  on  with  a  rush,  "  Don't  forget  me  while 
I'm  gone,  old  man,  will  you  ?  Remember  our 
commencement  night  when  we  walked  up  River 
side,  and  talked  of  the  great  future  lying  before  us  ? 
Of  all  I  cared  for  then,  not  one  remains  except 
yourself.  Of  all  the  health  and  vigor  I  had  then, 
only  a  shred  is  left.  I  shall  not  see  you  for  two  years 
anyway.  There's  nobody  left  to  write  to  me. 
Don't  forget  me.  Drop  me  a  line  occasionally, 
care  Barings,  will  you  ?  " 

With  such  an  intensity  of  pleading  came  the 
last  words  that  I  was  shaken  despite  myself. 
"  Write  you  ?  I  guess  I  will,"  I  cried.  "  Don't 
you  worry  about  that."  We  grasped  hands  and 
parted. 


CHAPTER    II 

"  IT'S  no  use,  Orrington,  there's  nothing  in  it," 
said  the  managing  editor  decisively.  "  We  can't 
publish  a  fairy  story  like  that.  We've  got  to  stick 
to  probabilities,  at  least.  What  did  the  Secretary 
of  War  say  when  you  told  him  ?  " 

"  Oh,  he  said  it  was  simply  the  insane  freak  of 
a  crazy  man,"  I  answered  glumly  enough,  for  I 
had  set  my  whole  heart  on  this  scoop,  and  felt 
more  and  more  convinced  that  it  was  true,  the 
more  I  was  rebuffed.  I  went  on  with  a  gleam  of 
hope.  "  I'd  like  to  have  you  see  radium  bring  out 
the  second  letter,  that  was  underneath  the  first." 

"  My  dear  chap,"  said  the  chief,  a  little  im 
patiently,  "  I'll  take  your  word  for  that,  and  you 
could  use  that  story  very  well  in  another  way,  but 
it  isn't  news.  Whole  fleets  can't  be  sunk  by 
a  single  man.  It's  nonsense."  He  placed  his 
glasses  on  his  nose  with  a  vigorous  gesture,  and 
picked  up  a  fresh  bunch  of  copy. 

Without  a  word,  I  passed  out  into  the  big  office 
where,  sitting  down  at  an  empty  desk  by  the  win 
dow,  I  lighted  my  pipe  and  lost  myself  in  thought. 
Not  very  pleasant  thoughts  they  were,  for  I  had 

15 


1G  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

been  rebuffed  for  my  enthusiasm  on  every  side, 
since  I  took  up  the  quixotic  task  of  persuading  the 
United  States  that  one  of  her  battleships  was  in 
danger.  My  own  chief,  the  Washington  corre 
spondent,  the  War  Department,  the  President, 
and  now  the  managing  editor  of  the  New  York 
office  whither  I  had  been  suddenly  called  —  all 
laughed  at  my  tale.  Dorothy  Haldane  alone  had 
believed.  Together  we  had  seen  the  message 
grow  from  the  darkness.  We  were  convinced  of 
its  truth.  From  that  one  meeting  had  come  the 
feeling  that,  when  Dorothy  agreed,  the  opinion 
of  the  rest  of  the  world  faded  to  minor  account. 
Over  and  over  again  her  name  threaded  the 
shuttle  of  my  thoughts.  Dorothy  was  my  last 
thought  as  I  lay  down  at  night.  Dorothy  was  my 
first  thought  with  the  dawn. 

I  had  an  hour  to  wait  before  I  could  reach  a 
man  whom  I  had  been  told  to  interview,  and  I  sat 
back  waiting  and  dreaming.  It  was  Tuesday  of 
the  fatal  week,  the  first  week  in  July.  Suddenly 
the  door  of  the  chief's  office  opened,  and  I  heard 
my  name.  "  Orrington  !  Orrington  !  "  I  jumped 
to  my  feet  and  hurried  in.  The  chief  was  sitting 
with  the  receiver  to  his  ear.  "  Close  that  door !  " 
he  ordered.  "  Here's  Orrington  now.  Tell  him 
what  you  told  me." 

I  took  the  'phone  at  his  gesture  and  listened. 

"  Orrington  ?  " 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  17 

"  Yes."  (The  man  on  the  other  end  was  the 
head  of  our  Washington  office.) 

"  There  may  be  something  in  that  story  of  yours. 
The  War  Department  has  just  called  me  up.  The 
Alaska  has  disappeared  somewhere  between  New 
port  News  and  Bar  Harbor.  They  talked  with 
her  by  wireless  yesterday  morning,  and  have  been 
unable  to  get  into  communication  with  her  since. 
She  has  two  sets  of  wireless  on  board,  and  has  not 
been  out  of  close  communication  for  three  years. 
They  have  sent  four  revenue  cutters  out  searching 
the  coast,  but  nothing  has  been  seen.  Finally  the 
secretary  thought  of  you  and  the  message  from  the 
man  who  intended  to  stop  all  war.  Have  you 
found  out  anything  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  Well,  take  your  orders  from  New  York  now. 
They've  asked  for  you  for  this.  I  don't  think  the 
other  papers  have  it  yet." 

I  straightened  up  with  a  throb  of  joy  and  turned 
to  the  chief.  He  looked  at  me  keenly.  "  Better 
not  write  anything  till  you  have  something  more. 
The  assignment  is  yours.  Go  out  and  find  the 
Alaska  or  what  happened  to  her.  I  give  you  carte 
blanche." 

Hardly  were  the  last  words  out  of  his  mouth 
before  1  had  jumped  for  my  hat  and  was  hurrying 
down  the  stairs  with  a  generous  order  for  expense 
money  in  my  hand.  A  moment's  stop  at  the 


18  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

cashier's,  and  I  was  out  on  the  street.  Up  and 
down  I  looked  for  cab  or  automobile.  I  was  bound 
for  the  water  front.  For  once,  there  was  not  even 
a  street  car  going  my  way.  I  started  hurriedly  on, 
half  running  in  my  speed.  As  I  rushed  along,  I 
heard  my  name,  "  Mr.  Orrington  !  "  The  voice 
would  have  called  me  miles.  It  was  Dorothy  Hal- 
dane,  seated  in  a  big  blue  motor.  Her  chauffeur 
drew  up  beside  me,  and  she  threw  open  the  door. 

"  Let  me  take  you  wherever  you  are  going,  and 
tell  me  if  you  have  heard  more  from  that  letter." 

I  needed  no  second  invitation,  gave  the  wharf 
address  to  the  chauffeur,  and  turned  to  answer 
Dorothy.  As  I  told  her  the  news,  she  leaned  for 
ward  to  the  chauffeur. 

"  Go  back  to  where  we  left  Mr.  Haldane's 
launch,'*  she  said,  and  turned  to  me.  "  I've  just 
left  Tom  at  his  launch,  which  was  to  take  him  out 
to  the  Black  Arrow.  They  were  waiting  for  some 
provisions  at  the  wharf,  and  may  be  there  yet. 
He'll  be  delighted  to  take  you,  and  the  Black  Arrow 
is  one  of  the  swiftest  motor  yachts  in  the  bay.  Will 
you  make  your  search  on  her  ?  If  you  will,  I'll 
go  with  you.  I  only  stayed  ashore  to-day  to  do 
some  shopping  that  can  wait." 

When  the  gods  befriend  a  man,  who  is  he  to  say 
nay  ?  Through  the  hot  and  dirty  markets  we  sped 
and  reached  the  wharf,  just  as  the  Black  Arrow's 
launch  was  leaving  the  shore.  A  clear  call  and  a 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  19 

wave  of  Dorothy's  parasol  brought  it  back,  while 
a  bewildered  smile  passed  over  Tom  Haldane's 
face  as  he  saw  us  awaiting  him.  "  Why,  Jim  !  " 
he  began. 

"  Don't  stop  to  talk  now,"  said  Dorothy.  "  Take 
us  to  the  Black  Arrow  as  fast  as  you  can.'* 

In  a  moment  we  had  cleared  the  wharves  and 
were  passing  from  the  dirt  and  smells  of  the  city 
on  to  the  clear  waters  of  the  bay.  As  we  went, 
Dorothy  explained  the  situation  to  Tom,  who  fell 
in  with  the  plan  joyously.  Once  on  the  slim 
rakish  yacht,  he  spoke. 

"  Now,  Jim,  you're  in  command.  Where  are 
we  going  ?  " 

"  Right  down  the  coast,"  I  said,  "  and  we'll 
megaphone  every  fisherman  and  yacht.  It's  the 
men  on  the  coasters  who  will  know,  if  any  one 
does." 

Swift  as  her  name,  the  Black  Arrow  ploughed 
her  way  through  the  summer  sea.  Pleasantest 
of  all  assignments  to  sit  on  her  deck  and  watch 
Dorothy  Haldane  as  she  talked  and  speculated 
on  the  problem  before  us.  Could  one  man  have 
sunk  so  mighty  a  battleship  ?  Was  there  any  pos 
sibility  that  a  single  man  could  make  war  on  the 
world  ?  Tom  came  up  to  us  in  the  midst  of  the 
discussion,  and  stood  listening. 

"  Queer  this  should  come  up  now,"  he  said. 
"  It  was  only  last  winter  that  some  one  was  talking 


20  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

about  something  like  this   up   at  our  house,  one 
Sunday  night.    Who  was  it,  Dorothy  ? '' 

A  sudden  look  of  alarm  flashed  across  her  face. 
She  started  to  speak  and  then  broke  off.  "  Oh  ! 
I  hardly  remember." 

Tom  persisted.  "  Let's  see,  there  was  a  crowd 
of  the  fellows  there,  and,  queer  thing  too,  John 
King  and  Dick  Regnier.  The  same  pair  that  were 
with  you  the  other  night." 

"  Regnier !  "  That  name  shot  across  me  like  a 
bullet.  The  short,  quick,  troubled  breathing  of 
some  one  behind  me  on  the  night  we  read  the 
letter  !  "  Can  it  be  !  "  I  burst  forth. 

Dorothy  made  no  pretence  of  misunderstanding 
me.  "  No,"  she  said  firmly.  "  Dick  was  up  to  see 
me  last  night.  It  couldn't  have  been  he." 

The  coast  had  been  rushing  by  us  rapidly  as  we 
talked,  and  now  the  summer  cottages  and  bathing 
beaches  were  giving  way  to  longer  stretches  of 
bare  sand  and  wooded  inlets.  I  rose  and  looked 
forward. 

'  We  may  as  well  commence  here,"  I  said,  and 
we  began  systematic  inquiry.  Catboat  and  sloop 
tacking  out  on  pleasure  bent,  tramp  steamer 
ploughing  heavily  up  the  coast,  —  one  after  an 
other,  we  came  alongside  and  asked  the  same 
questions.  "  Have  you  seen  a  battleship  to-day 
or  yesterday  ?  Have  you  seen  or  heard  anything 
unusual  ?  " 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  21 

The  answers  came  back  in  every  vein.  Brusque 
denials  —  ironical  inquiries  —  would-be  humor 
ous  sallies  —  courteous  rejoinders  —  one  and  all 
had  the  same  word.  No  battleship  seen.  Noth 
ing  unusual  seen  or  heard.  The  morning  had 
become  noon,  ere  we  were  fairly  on  our  quest. 
The  afternoon  wore  on  towards  night,  as  it  pro 
gressed.  As  the  hours  passed,  I  protested  against 
my  hosts  giving  up  their  yacht  to  my  service,  but 
quite  in  vain.  They  were  as  firmly  resolved  to 
pursue  the  quest  to  the  end  as  I  was  myself. 

About  five  o'clock,  when  we  were  some  six  or 
seven  miles  ofF  the  coast,  came  the  first  success. 
We  hailed  a  schooner  whose  lookout  replied 
negatively  to  our  questions.  As  we  passed  slowly, 
we  heard  a  sudden  hail,  as  a  gaunt  man,  the  skip 
per,  rushed  to  the  side. 

"  Lookin'  for  anything  unusual,  be  ye  ?  "  he 
shouted.  "  I've  seen  one  thing,  —  a  catboat 
takin'  on  a  crazy  man  out  of  a  knockabout." 

"  Whereabouts  ?  "  I  shouted. 

'  'Bout  ten  miles  back,  I  reckon,"  came  the 
answer. 

He  knew  no  more  than  that,  and  the  interchange 
over,  I  turned  to  Dorothy. 

"  Shall  we  run  that  clue  down  ?  "  I  asked. 

She  nodded  decisively.  "  By  all  means,"  she 
said.  "  It's  the  only  one  we  have.  Send  the  Arrow 
inshore,  will  you,  Tom,  on  a  long  slant  ?  " 


22  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

Once  more  the  engine  took  up  its  racing  speed, 
as  the  boat  bore  down  on  the  shore.  As  we  went 
in,  we  changed  the  questions,  and  asked  the  few 
boats  we  /net  if  they  had  picked  up  a  man.  At 
last  we  saw  a  catboat  just  sailing  out  of  a  little  bay, 
and  bore  down  on  it.  A  man  and  a  boy  sat  in  the 
stern.  As  I  shouted  my  question  once  more,  the 
man  jumped  up. 

"  Yes,  we  picked  one  up." 

"  Where  is  he  ?  "  I  shouted. 

"  At  my  house,  but  he's  crazy,"  replied  the  man. 

"  Can  we  get  in  there  with  the  yacht  ?  " 

"  No,  but  I  can  take  you  in,"  he  answered,  and 
it  was  but  a  moment's  work  to  lower  a  boat  from 
the  davits.  As  I  stepped  to  the  side,  Tom  and 
Dorothy  hurried  up. 

"  We're  going,  too,"  Tom  cried. 

The  launch  bore  us  rapidly  across  to  the  cat- 
boat,  and  as  we  approached,  I  studied  the  faces 
of  the  man  and  the  boy.  They  were  simple  folk, 
of  evidently  limited  intelligence.  Hardly  had  we 
come  alongside,  when  I  began  my  questions,  and 
a  strange  story  came  in  reply.  Stripped  of  its 
vernacular  and  repetitions,  this  was  the  tale  finally 
dragged  from  the  man  and  boy,  as  we  sailed  to 
wards  the  shore. 

They  had  started  out  in  the  early  morning  and 
had  fished  with  some  success.  In  the  afternoon, 
they  had  seen  a  knockabout  running  free  before 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  23 

the  wind,  with  all  sorts  of  strange  action.  The  sail 
widespread,  she  turned  and  reared,  started  and 
checked,  swung  and  circled.  There  was  no  sign 
of  life  on  board  that  they  could  ascertain,  and 
they  made  up  their  minds  that  the  boat  had 
either  lost  its  occupants  or  had  been  driven  off 
shore  with  its  sail  hoisted.  On  boarding,  much 
to  their  surprise,  they  found  a  man,  apparently  a 
solitary  fisherman,  lying  unconscious  in  the  stern 
sheets.  Throwing  water  over  him  roused  him. 
He  sat  up  and  looked  around,  but  with  unseeing 
eyes.  His  lips  quivered,  and  in  a  low  whisper  he  be 
gan  to  speak.  "  Disappeared,  disappeared,  disap 
peared.  Nothing  real,  nothing  real."  Rising,  he 
started  to  walk  straight  ahead,  but  struck  the  side 
and  fell.  His  murmur  now  changed  to  a  loud  moan. 
"  Disappeared,  disappeared,  disappeared.  Noth 
ing  real,  nothing  real."  Again  he  tried  to  walk, 
but  this  time  they  caught  him,  bound  him,  and 
carried  him  to  shore,  to  their  house,  where  he  went 
quietly  enough  to  bed,  with  the  unceasing  moan. 
"  Disappeared,  disappeared,  disappeared.  Noth 
ing  real,  nothing  real,"  rising  and  falling  like  the 
waves  on  the  shore. 

The  story  had  taken  all  the  way  in,  and  as  we 
rowed  towards  shore,  leaving  the  catboat  and 
launch  at  the  mooring  where  the  knockabout  lay, 
the  night  was  swiftly  shutting  in.  A  light  glim 
mered  in  a  low  house  on  the  bluff. 


24  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

"  That's  my  house,"  said  the  man,  as  we  has 
tened  towards  it.  A  woman  with  a  kindly  face 
met  us  at  the  door. 

"  Wife,  these  are  some  folks  that  are  looking 
for  the  crazy  man,"  said  our  friend. 

"  He's  fast  asleep,"  was  the  answer,  "  but  you 
can  go  in  and  see  him,  if  you  want  to." 

My  heart  rose.  The  second  step  of  my  quest 
was  in  sight. 

"  Tom,"  I  said  quietly,  "  come  along  with  me. 
Miss  Haldane,  will  you  remain  here  ?  " 

Dorothy  nodded.  Tom  and  I  followed  the 
woman  as  she  passed  down  a  narrow  passage. 
Opening  a  rude  door,  she  entered.  In  front  of 
the  bed,  she  stopped  short  and  threw  up  her 
hands.  "  For  the  land's  sake,"  she  cried.  "  He's 
gone !  " 

Gone  !    The  word  echoed  dismally  in  my  brain. 

'  Wait  till  I  get  a  lamp,"  said  the  woman,  and 
she  pattered  nervously  out. 

By  the  fading  light,  we  could  see  the  disordered 
bed,  the  open  window,  and  an  overturned  chair. 
A  glimmer  of  light  came  down  the  passage,  and  the 
woman  hurried  back,  followed  by  Dorothy.  No 
more  information  could  be  gleaned.  Evidently 
the  lost  man  had  risen,  dressed  completely,  and 
left  by  the  low  open  window.  The  woman  of  the 
house  was  in  great  distress,  weeping  and  rocking. 
'  The  poor  crazy  man,  lost  in  these  woods.  He 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  25 

was  as  harmless  as  anything.  I  thought  he  was 
all  right." 

Dorothy  sat  down  beside  her,  and,  soothing 
her,  began  a  series  of  quiet  questions.  "  How 
long  did  you  leave  him  ?  " 

"  An  hour  or  more."  She  had  been  doing  the 
supper  dishes.  Dorothy  turned  to  the  husband. 

"  What  roads  are  there  from  here  ?  " 

"  Only  one  for  a  mile.  That  goes  from  the 
front  of  the  house." 

The  woman  broke  in.  "  If  he'd  taken  that,  I'd 
have  seen  him.  He'd  have  gone  by  my  window. 
He  must  have  gone  to  the  shore  or  the  woods." 

'  There's  no  use  waiting.  He's  only  getting 
farther  away  from  us,"  cried  Tom.  "  Let's  look 
around  the  house." 

Our  fisher  friend  had  two  lanterns  and  a  kero 
sene  light.  With  these,  we  began  the  search.  The 
sand  and  rock  around  the  house  gave  no  sign  of 
footprints,  and  we  passed  out  in  widening  circles, 
meeting  and  calling  without  avail.  A  half  hour's 
exploration  left  us  just  where  we  started.  We 
had  found  nothing.  Turning  back,  we  met 
Dorothy  at  the  door. 

"  I  was  afraid  you  would  find  nothing,"  she 
said.  "  I've  just  found  out  that  he  said  one  thing 
beside  the  sentence  which  he  continually  repeated. 
Once  he  said,  '  The  sea,  the  sea,  the  awful  sea.' 
I  believe  he  has  gone  to  the  shore." 


26  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

Together,  we  went  in  that  direction.  Tom  and 
the  fisherman  took  one  way,  Dorothy  and  I  the 
other.  As  we  hastened  on,  the  light  of  the  lantern 
threw  circles  of  hazy  light  on  the  black  water  and 
on  the  shore.  Dorothy,  in  the  depths  of  thought, 
walked  on  a  little  in  advance,  and,  despite  myself, 
my  thoughts  turned  from  the  man  I  sought  and  the 
errand  for  which  I  sought  him,  and  I  gazed  wholly 
at  the  round  cheek  shaded  by  a  flying  tress  that 
escaped  from  the  close  veil,  and  at  the  erect  figure, 
now  stooping  to  look  ahead,  now  rising  and  pass 
ing  on  in  deep  thought.  The  same  thrill  which 
had  held  me  the  first  night  came  again,  that  bind 
ing  call,  that  tightening  chain.  I  lost  myself  in  a 
dreamy  exhilaration. 

Suddenly,  Dorothy  stopped.  "  It's  no  use  to 
go  farther." 

Obediently  I  turned,  and  we  retraced  our  steps. 
Just  below  the  house,  we  met  Tom  and  the  fisher 
man,  returned  from  an  equally  unavailing  search. 
We  all  four  stood  gazing  out  to  sea  where  the 
Black  Arrow  lay,  her  lights  the  sole  gemmed  relief 
of  the  dark  waters,  save  where  her  search-light 
blazed  a  widening  path  of  changing  silver  before 
her.  All  at  once  I  saw  Dorothy  raise  her  head  with 
a  quick  breath. 

"  If  he's  on  the  shore,  I  know  how  we  can  find 
him,  no  matter  what  start  he  has." 


CHAPTER   III 

WE  waited  anxiously  for  her  next  words. 
'  The  search-light  of  the  Arrow  will  do  it.    We 
can  run  the  launch  along  the  coast  twice  as  fast 
as  a  man  can  walk  or  run,  and  play  the  search 
light  of  the  yacht  on  the  shore  as  we  go." 

Though  simplicity  itself,  it  was  the  only  plan 
that  promised  success,  and  it  took  but  little  time 
to  put  it  into  operation.  The  fisherman  volun 
teered  as  pilot,  and  while  Tom  went  back  in  the 
launch  to  give  instructions  to  the  captain,  we 
waited  in  the  darkness  of  the  little  bay,  holding 
our  lights  as  beacons.  The  night,  without  a  single 
star,  but  darkly  showed  the  lapping  waves  and 
sighing  pines  which  made  the  background  of  our 
tiny,  rocky  amphitheatre.  Tom  had  not  covered 
half  the  distance  to  the  yacht,  when  we  heard  his 
hail,  and  the  search-light  swung  at  right  angles, 
limning  the  launch  speeding  from  the  shore  in  a 
lane  of  light.  We  watched  them  till  they  reached 
the  shadow  of  the  side.  There  was  a  brief  interval 
before  we  saw  the  launch  returning  down  the  sil 
very  way,  but,  as  she  neared  us,  to  our  surprise  we 
saw  Tom  was  not  there.  In  his  stead  came  the 
first  officer,  who  touched  his  cap,  and  said,  "  Mr. 

27 


28  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

Haldane  will  stay  on  the  yacht  and  run  the  search 
light,  and  has  asked  me  to  run  the  launch." 

It  was  but  the  work  of  a  moment  to  embark, 
and  the  boat  headed  out  of  the  cove  towards  the 
north,  the  side  agreed  upon  with  Tom.  Up  in  the 
prow  stood  the  officer  at  the  wheel,  the  fisherman 
pilot  beside  him.  The  engineer  bent  over  his 
small  engine  in  the  centre,  and  in  the  stern  sat 
Dorothy  and  I,  peering  into  the  space  of  light  on 
the  shore,  where  played  the  search-light.  Bravely 
the  little  launch  found  her  way  forward,  with  the 
slight  chug-chug  of  her  engine  the  only  sound. 
I  could  not  rid  myself  of  a  feeling  of  unreality. 
Constantly  we  moved  in  light,  while  all  else  was  in 
shadow.  Before  us  was  the  shore,  lighted  as  by  a 
ghostly  radiance,  on  either  side  was  darkness,  such 
darkness  that  we  could  barely  distinguish  the 
sky  line  of  bluff  and  tree  against  the  sky.  We 
neither  spoke  nor  moved,  and  the  sailors  forward 
scarce  broke  by  a  movement  the  silence,  with  its 
single  sound  rising  above  the  monotony  of  the 
waves.  Dark  green  of  pine  and  cedar,  lighter 
green  of  scrub  oak,  yellow  gray  of  sand  dune,  soft 
brown  warmth  of  massive  boulder,  curling  white 
where  splashing  waves  broke  on  the  glistening 
pebbles  of  the  shore,  ragged  stump  and  lofty  maple 
—  all  were  etherealized  by  the  silver,  shifting 
light.  It  was  a  night  of  enchantment,  wherein  I, 
taken  up  by  a  genie  from  my  dusty  tasks,  had  been 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  29 

placed  beside  a  fairy  queen  to  behold  the  wonders 
of  Eastern  magic.  Mile  after  mile  rolled  by  with 
no  result.  Once  we  flashed  our  light  on  a  startled 
fisherman  lifting  his  lobster  pots  from  his  boat. 
Now  and  again  we  cast  it  on  veranda  of  summer 
cottage,  or  on  kitchen  steps  of  farmhouse.  Where 
we  found  men,  we  inquired  for  the  object  of  our 
search,  but  it  was  all  in  vain,  and  at  last  I  looked 
questioningly  at  Dorothy. 

"  He  could  not  have  come  so  far  as  this." 

She  shook  her  head.    "  No,"  she  said  regretfully. 

"  We  may  as  well  turn.    But  we'll  find  him  on  the 

other  shore.     I  feel  certain  he  went  to  the  sea." 

She  gave  a  low  order  to  the  officer  at  the  wheel. 

o 

He  raised  a  lantern  thrice,  and  the  search-light 
paused  and  reversed  its  way. 

Back  over  the  ground  we  passed,  more  swiftly 
this  time  than  on  our  way  up.  Back  to  the  cove 
where  we  started,  we  went,  and  from  there  we 
took  our  course  southward  along  the  shore.  We 
had  gone  perhaps  three  miles,  when  the  fisherman 
turned  suddenly.  '  There's  some  one  ahead  there 
on  the  bluff." 

On  swept  the  search-light,  and  outlined  on  a 
little  knoll  scarcely  fifty  yards  from  us  stood  a 
man,  his  hands  stretched  to  heaven,  and  an  ex 
pression  of  awful  doubt  and  agony  on  his  face. 
His  lips  moved,  and  a  moaning  cry  came  from 
them.  Quickly  the  engineer  threw  the  lever,  and 


30  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

the  sound  of  the  engine  ceased.  Out  of  the  still 
ness,  made  yet  more  manifest  by  the  stopping  of 
the  single  accustomed  sound,  came  the  moan. 
"  Disappeared,  disappeared,  disappeared.  Noth 
ing  real,  nothing  real !  "  The  man  paid  no  atten 
tion  to  the  light  or  to  our  boat.  He  looked  be 
yond  us,  at  the  ocean,  with  an  unseeing  gaze. 

"  Hold  the  search-light  there  !  "  I  called,  in  a 
low  tone. 

The  officer  raised  his  lantern  twice,  and  the 
search-light  stopped  with  the  man  in  the  centre 
of  its  field. 

"  Go  on,"  I  said,  and  the  launch  passed  slowly 
on  into  the  darkness.  In  hurried  tones,  I  told 
Dorothy  my  plans.  The  fisherman  and  I  would 
go  ashore  at  the  first  point  possible,  come  up  from 
behind,  and  take  him.  It  was  quickly  and  easily 
done.  The  launch  was  brought  close  in  shore, 
where  the  fisherman  and  I  could  wade  in,  and,  as 
we  stole  quietly  up  behind  the  man,  we  could  see 
that  he  had  not  moved.  His  hands  were  still 
raised  on  high.  His  lips  still  uttered  the  same  moan. 
To  my  surprise,  he  offered  no  resistance,  and  came 
quietly  and  peaceably  on  board  the  launch  and 
the  yacht,  where  they  put  him  to  bed.  Through 
the  whole  he  never  ceased  his  plaint.  We  looked 
for  sign  or  letter  that  might  show  his  identity,  but 
there  was  nothing.  However,  we  had  won  the  sec- 

o  7 

ond  step.   Next  came  the  question,  "  Did  he  know 


THE    OFFICER    RAISED    HIS    LANTERN    TWICE. 


{.Page  SO. 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  31 

anything  of  the  Alaska  ?  "  That  was  the  last  thing 
we  discussed  before  turning  in,  but  it  was  not 
the  last  thing  in  my  thoughts  as  I  fell  asleep. 

I  woke  up  next  morning  among  the  familiar 
sounds  of  New  York  harbor,  and  came  on  deck  to 
find  Tom  and  Dorothy  already  there.  Our  visitor 
was  safe.  He  was  still  in  a  heavy  sleep. 

The  newspapers  had  come  on  board,  and  we 
found  that  the  disappearance  of  the  battleship  was 
now  known,  but  that  there  was  as  yet  no  news. 
In  the  excitement,  the  story  of  the  message  from 
the  man  had  been  wholly  forgotten.  Every  news 
paper  was  searching,  but  none  had  any  clue.  The 
Navy  Department  could  give  no  information, 
though  besieged  by  hundreds  of  the  relatives  and 
friends  of  the  men  on  board.  There  was  no  clue 
as  to  the  identity  of  the  insane  man.  No  paper  re 
ported  any  man  as  lost.  I  thought  the  matter 
over  as  we  breakfasted.  Finally  Tom  spoke. 

"  What's  the  next  move,  Jim  ?  " 

"  To  open  the  mouth  of  this  man  here,"  I  an 
swered.  "  I  believe  that  he  knows  something; 
that  a  sudden  shock  drove  him  crazy,  and  our 
next  move  is  to  get  him  sane  again." 

"  How  will  you  do  that  ?  "  queried  Dorothy. 

"  I  don't  quite  know,"  I  answered  hesitatingly. 
"  But  I  think  I  had  better  try  some  physician.  I 
want  a  bright,  resourceful  specialist." 

"  I  know  just  the  man,"  said  Tom.     "  Forres- 


32  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

ter;  he's  making  a  name  fast.  You  know  him, 
Dorothy  ?  " 

Dorothy  nodded.  "  I  don't  think  you  can  get 
a  better  man,"  she  said,  and  so  the  next  move  was 
decided. 

Our  man  awoke  with  no  change  from  the  night 
before,  and  with  the  same  cry  ever  issuing  from 
his  lips.  Tom  went  ashore,  'phoned  Dr.  Forrester, 
and  arranged  for  attendants  to  remove  the  unfor 
tunate  to  a  private  hospital.  We  preceded  the 
carriage  which  was  sent  for  him,  in  Tom's  motor 
car. 

We  had  waited  perhaps  five  minutes  in  Dr. 
Forrester's  office,  when  he  entered.  Clear-cut, 
with  clean  shaven  mouth  and  searching  eyes,  he 
seemed  the  very  man  to  solve  our  problem,  if  it 
could  be  solved.  Briefly  I  told  him  the  condition. 
Here  was  an  unknown  man,  with  absolutely  no 
clue  to  his  identity,  who,  we  believed,  possessed 
certain  information  which  we  needed,  information 
of  the  utmost  public  importance.  Our  desire  was 
to  bring  him  back  to  a  normal  sanity  and  to  learn 
his  story.  My  tale  done,  Forrester  looked  ques- 
tioningly  at  Tom. 

''  It's  all  right,  Doctor,  every  bit  of  it,"  said 
Tom  decisively.  "  I'm  right  behind  this  thing, 
and  it's  all  perfectly  straight.  My  sister  and  I 
were  with  Mr.  Orrington  when  he  found  the  man." 

Forrester  rose   as  Tom   spoke   the  last  words. 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  33 

"  That's  all  that  is  necessary.  I  shall  be  very  glad 
to  do  what  I  can.  If  you'll  excuse  me  now,  I 
think  that  the  patient  has  arrived.  If  you  care  to 
wait,  I'll  make  a  preliminary  examination  and  let 
you  know  something  of  the  result  immediately." 

For  half  an  hour  we  waited  anxiously  for  the 
verdict.  Could  Dr.  Forrester  find  the  missing 
spring  which  would  roll  the  curtain  from  that 
brain,  and  enable  it  to  give  forth  the  information 
which  might  mean  so  much  to  me  ?  Finally  the 
door  opened  and  he  entered.  We  sprang  up.  He 
shook  his  head. 

"  A  most  trying  and  puzzling  case.  There  seems 
to  have  been  absolutely  no  injury  to  the  brain, 
that  can  be  recognized.  None  of  the  ordinary 
causes  seem  to  have  any  share  in  the  causation 
of  this.  I  can  do  nothing  for  you  to-day.  I  will 
try  every  means  known  to  us  in  succession,  and 
report  to  you  day  by  day." 

I  felt  baffled  and  seriously  puzzled.  It  was  most 
essential  that  I  should  get  the  story  the  moment 
the  man  recovered,  if  he  did  recover.  It  was 
equally  essential  that  I  should  be  free  to  hunt  for 
new  clues.  Dorothy  saw  my  anxiety. 

"  What  is  it,  Mr.  Orrington  ?  "  she  questioned. 

"  Simply  wondering  how  I  could  be  in  two 
places  at  the  same  time  —  here  waiting  and  on  the 
coast  searching,"  I  answered. 

"  I  can  settle  that,"  said  she.     "  I  am  going  to 


34  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

take  a  week  of  observing  in  Tom's  research  labora 
tory,  and  I'll  be  right  in  reach  of  a  telephone  every 
minute." 

I  objected  in  vain.  Dorothy  settled  matters  as 
she  had  settled  them  before.  Tom  and  I  were  to 
go  down  the  coast  in  the  Black  Arrow,  returning 
every  night  to  New  York.  She  was  to  remain  in 
the  city. 

I  reported  my  findings  to  the  paper,  and  still  the 
chief  said,  "  Wait !  Don't  write  anything  till  you 
have  more.  Keep  at  it  till  you  have  something." 

Morning  after  morning  we  telephoned  the 
hospital  and  found  no  change.  Day  after  day  we 
spent  in  the  Black  Arrow,  searching  the  coast,  or 
in  the  motor  car,  skirting  the  shores.  Evening 
after  evening  we  spent  in  the  library  at  the  Hal- 
danes',  in  endless  discussion  and  consultation. 
The  country  was  daily  growing  more  and  more 
alarmed.  Rumors  of  war,  of  foreign  fleets  coming 
to  attack  our  shores,  filled  the  papers.  Stories  that 
the  Alaska  had  been  sent  to  the  Pacific  and  had 
been  seen  in  South  American  ports,  that  she  had 
been  seen  in  European  waters,  that  she  had  struck 
a  derelict  and,  badly  disabled,  was  coming  slowly 
in,  were  current.  Every  story  run  to  earth  proved 
a  fake,  and  every  day  had  a  new  story.  The  Gov 
ernment  knew  no  more  than  any  one  else,  and  had 
been  driven  to  a  sphinx-like  silence  in  self-defence. 
They  had  employed,  as  had  the  newspapers,  every 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  35 

known  means  of  getting  some  news  of  the  battle 
ship,  but  all  in  vain. 

The  Alaska  had  disappeared  on  Monday  or 
Tuesday  of  the  first  week  in  July.  On  Tuesday, 
we  had  found  the  man  who  was  still  gazing  with 
unseeing  eyes  at  the  bare  wall  of  the  hospital 
room,  still  moaning  the  same  cry.  In  six  days  he 
had  never  varied  it  but  twice,  and  both  those  times 
he  repeated  his  words  in  the  cottage,  "  The  sea, 
the  awful  sea." 

Experiment  after  experiment  had  been  tried 
without  avail.  Two  consultations  with  the  best 
alienists  of  the  city  had  given  Dr.  Forrester  no 
more  light.  Six  days  of  searching  the  coast  gave 
us  not  a  single  clue.  On  Monday  night  we  reached 
the  wharf  about  six,  to  find  Dorothy  waiting  for 
us  in  the  automobile.  As  we  rode  up  town  she 
rapidly  explained  the  plan  for  the  evening. 

'  They  tried  a  high  frequency  current  on  the 
patient  to-day,"  said  Dorothy,  "  and  it  seemed  to 
have  the  first  effect.  He  stopped  his  plaint,  went 
off  to  sleep,  and  woke  silent  for  the  first  time.  He 
did  not  drop  back  into  his  old  condition  until  three 
hours  later.  They  are  going  to  try  it  again,  as 
soon  as  we  get  there." 

In  one  of  Dr.  Forrester's  offices  stood  the  high 
frequency  apparatus.  Before  it  sat  the  man,  his 
eyes  staring  before  him,  his  lips  moving  with  his 
moaning  cry.  The  doctor  moved  the  cup-shaped 


36  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

terminal  above  his  head,  adjusted  the  negatives, 
then  nodded  to  the  nurse  at  the  switch.  Slowly 
increasing  in  sound  and  speed  went  the  motor. 
Hissing  low  and  sibilantly  shot  the  vibrant  dis 
charge.  Five  minutes  passed  as  we  gazed  intently 
on  the  man  in  the  chair,  five  more,  and  yet  five 
more.  His  words  came  slowly,  drowsily  now. 
The  harsh,  clashing  syllables  became  a  low  hum. 
He  dropped  off  into  sleep,  breathing  regularly, 
and  the  nurse  threw  off  the  switch. 

'  That  regular  sleep  is  a  great  gain,"  said  For 
rester.    "  He'll  probably  wake  soon." 

Silently  we  sat  waiting.  The  clock  ticked 
loudly.  I  fell  at  once  to  my  constant  occupation, 
watching  Dorothy.  She  sat  beside  Tom,  her 
eager  face  bent  intently  on  the  man,  so  intently 
that  it  would  seem  as  if  she  must  obtain  the  secret 
from  his  sleeping  form.  I  had  watched  her  ex 
pressive  face  for  perhaps  half  an  hour,  Forrester 
had  been  out  and  returned,  when  the  man  stirred 
drowsily,  put  up  his  hand  to  his  eyes,  rubbed  them, 
yawned  and  looked  up. 

"  Where  —  where  am  I  ?  "  he  said  stumblingly. 
'  Where's  the  boat  ?  "  he  went  on. 

Forrester  soothed  him.  "  You're  all  right," 
he  said.  '  You  had  an  accident,  but  you're  all 
right  again." 

The   man   sank   back   resignedly.     "  Well  — 
he  began,  and  then  a  wave  of  remembrance  flashed 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  37 

across  his  face,  a  look  of  horror.  We  bent  forward 
instinctively,  hanging  on  his  words. 

"Where's  the  ship?"  he  cried.  "What's 
happened  to  the  Alaska  ?  I  saw  her  disappear. 
For  God's  sake  tell  me  I  didn't  — "  The  red 
flush  in  his  face  grew  deeper,  his  breath  grew 
labored,  and  the  watching  physician,  stepping 
beside  his  bared  arm,  brought  something  con 
cealed  in  his  hand  against  it  once,  twice.  "  Oh  !  " 
said  the  man  shrinking.  "  What  -  '  and  then 
without  another  word  he  became  unconscious. 

I  jumped  up  in  excitement.  "  Couldn't  you 
have,  —  "I  began,  but  Forrester  stopped  me. 

"  I  let  him  say  all  that  was  safe.  Wait  three 
hours,  and  he  will  probably  be  all  right."  He 
smiled  somewhat  exultantly.  '  The  high  fre 
quency  did  it.  Somehow  it  seems  to  rearrange 
the  disordered  parts  by  the  electric  flow." 

"  Why  do  you  think  the  high  frequency  cur 
rent  did  the  work  when  all  other  methods  failed  ?  " 
asked  Tom,  as  we  descended  the  stairs. 

Forrester  pulled  at  his  chin  with  an  air  of  ab 
straction.  "  I  don't  really  know,"  he  answered 
frankly  "  The  action  is  almost  as  if  some  elec 
trical  matter  in  the  patient  had  been  jarred  by  an 
electrical  shock,  and  when  the  high  frequency 
got  control,  it  put  things  back  into  shape.  Re 
adjusted  the  parts,  as  it  were.  I  don't  believe  at 
all  that  the  shock  of  seeing  the  battleship  go  down 


38  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

did  the  whole  mischief.  There  was  something  else, 
something  decidedly  out  of  the  common,  mixed 
up  in  the  case." 

As  we  waited,  I  telephoned  the  office,  and  found 
the  chief  still  there. 

"  Victory  is  in  sight,"  I  said.  "  Save  as  many 
columns  as  you  can." 

"  You  can  have  all  you  want,"  came  back  over 
the  wire. 

I  asked  for  a  desk,  and  began  to  write.  I 
sketched  the  scene  in  the  War  Department,  quoted 
the  entire  message  from  the  man  who  was  trying 
to  stop  all  war,  reviewed  briefly  what  was  known 
of  the  ship  and  of  her  disappearance,  and  told  of 
our  search  down  the  coast,  and  of  the  finding  of 
the  man  upstairs.  Hour  after  hour  went  by  as  I 
wrote,  and  no  call  came.  Dorothy  and  Tom  sat 
reading.  At  last  I  brought  my  story  down  to  the 
point  where  I  wished  to  introduce  the  story  of 
the  man.  There  I  stopped,  and  with  idle  pen 
sat  and  watched  the  beautiful  head  below  the 
shaded  light.  If  a  man  could  only  sit  and  see  that 
"  Picture  of  a  woman  reading  "  every  night !  I 
found  myself  figuring  costs  of  living  more  zeal 
ously  than  ever  before.  A  knock  broke  in  on  my 
thoughts. 

'  The  patient  has  roused,"  said  the  nurse,  "  and 
the  doctor  would  like  to  have  you  come." 

Silently  we  passed  through  the  bare  corridors 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  39 

and  up  the  wide  stairs.  As  we  entered,  the  doctor 
sat  beside  the  man  on  the  narrow  iron  bed.  I 
looked  with  eager  inquiry  at  the  face.  It  shone 
with  normal  intelligence.  We  had  conquered 
again. 

"  I  have  just  been  telling  Mr.  Joslinn  of  your 
finding  him,  and  of  his  being  here,"  said  Forrester. 
"  Now  he  is  ready  to  talk." 

Dorothy  greeted  him  and  began  the  talk,  while 
I  wrote  feverishly  as  Joslinn  spoke  in  a  low 
steady  tone.  Yes,  he  had  gone  out  fishing.  He 
had  left  a  little  shooting  box,  whither  he  had  run 
down  alone  on  Monday,  and  taken  the  knock 
about  out.  The  reason  no  one  had  known  of  his 
disappearance  was  that  there  was  no  one  to  care. 
He  had  no  family  and  had  retired  from  business, 
made  little  trips  now  and  then,  so  his  landlady 
and  friends  simply  thought  of  him  as  away.  I 
chafed  at  the  time  that  he  took  in  coming  to  the 
point.  If  he  only  reached  it,  his  long  description 
of  his  acts  was  all  a  part  of  the  story.  Then  came 
the  crisis : 

"  I  was  out  ten  or  twelve  miles  from  shore,  just 
about  sunset,"  said  Joslinn,  "  when  I  saw  a  battle 
ship  coming  up  the  coast.  She  was  the  only  ship 
in  sight,  and  she  passed  within  a  short  distance 
of  me,  so  near  that  I  felt  the  last  of  her  wake. 
I  never  saw  a  finer  spectacle  than  that  boat  as  she 
swept  on."  He  paused. 


40  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

"  Go  on,  go  on,"  I  said  anxiously. 

"  I  knew  it  was  the  Alaska,"  he  resumed,  "  be- 
cause  I  had  seen  her  lying  for  weeks  below  my 
apartment  house  in  Riverside  Drive.  I  watched 
her  as  she  went  on  triumphant.  It  was  the  time  of 
evening  colors.  Out  across  the  water  came  the 
bugle  call,  which  I  had  heard  so  often  as  I  hung 
over  the  parapet  of  the  Drive  at  nightfall.  The 
marine  guard  and  the  crew  stood  mustered  and 
facing  aft.  The  flag  fell  a  fluttering  inch,  and  at 
the  moment  of  its  fall  the  band  crashed  into  the 
full  strain  of  the  Star  Spangled  Banner.  I  stood 
with  bared  head,  and  my  eyes  filled  as  the  great 
ship  bore  proudly  on.  Just  as  the  last  note  of 
*  Oh  long  may  it  wave  '  came  to  me,  like  a  burst 
ing  soap  bubble,  like  a  light  cloud  scattered  by  the 
wind,  she  disappeared  without  a  sound  !  Not  so 
much  as  the  splash  of  a  pebble  in  the  water  could 
I  hear." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say,"  cried  Tom,  in  utter 
amazement,  "  that  all  those  thousands  of  tons  of 
armored  steel,  those  great  guns  in  their  huge 
turrets,  that  terrific  mass  of  metal,  disappeared 
without  a  sound  ?  " 

"  Absolutely  without  a  sound,"  answered  Jos- 
linn  gravely.  "  The  Alaska  disappeared  with  less 
commotion  than  a  ring  of  tobacco  smoke  in  the 
air.  It  utterly  destroyed  one's  belief  in  the  reality 
of  anything  in  this  world  !  " 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  41 

Bewilderment,  complete  bewilderment,  is  the 
only  word  which  can  express  the  appearance  of 
our  little  group,  as  we  stood  in  the  bare  room. 
Even  Forrester  temporarily  forgot  his  professional 
attitude  in  the  absorbing  interest  of  the  tale.  But 
a  sigh  from  Joslinn  recalled  him. 

"  That's  quite  enough,  Mr.  Joslinn,"  he  said 
hurriedly,  and,  at  his  nod  of  dismissal,  we  turned 
and  went  down  the  stairs. 

"  Nothing  real,  with  a  vengeance,"  remarked 
Tom,  as  we  descended.  "  I  can't  imagine  a  more 
unearthly  spectacle  than  that  noiseless  fading 
away.  I'd  have  said  mirage,  if  he  hadn't  heard 
the  music,  and  if  the  ship  hadn't  actually  dis 
appeared.  Hold  on  —  if  this  is  the  work  of 
man,  is  it  possible  that  he  has  discovered  some 
new  substance  which,  placed  in  armored  steel, 
causes  it  to  disintegrate  ?  If  he  got  hold  of 
such  stuff,  he  might  get  it  into  armored  steel, 
while  it  was  making,  and  then  after  a  certain  time 
the  whole  thing  might  crumble  away." 

Tom  had  finished  speaking  as  he  stood  in  the 
door  of  the  doctor's  pleasant  library. 

Dorothy  nodded  as  he  closed.  '  That's  not  a 
bad  idea,  Tom.  If  anything  could  be  found 
that  would  make  steel  crumble  into  dust,  as  a  puff 
ball  crumbles,  it  might  of  course  be  timed.  But 
the  whole  thing  dazes  me.  I  want  plenty  of  time  to 
think  it  over." 


42  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

"  And  I  must  get  to  work  on  my  story,"  I  said, 
trying  to  shake  myself  back  into  the  world  of  reality 
again,  and  I  rushed  back  to  my  desk. 

Word  for  word  I  wrote  the  story,  drew  Joslinn's 
life  history  briefly,  ran  rapidly  through  the  whole, 
and  as  Dorothy  entered,  "  I  know  how  I'll  end," 
I  exclaimed.  "  I'll  prophesy  the  sinking  of 
a  British  battleship  this  week." 

She  clapped  her  hands.  "  Good  !  good  !  "  she 
cried.  '  You  couldn't  do  better." 

The  last  words  of  my  story  were  the  prophecy, 
and  I  hurried  to  the  telephone.  It  was  I  A.  M.,  but 
the  chief  himself  answered.  "  I'll  be  there  wTith 
the  whole  story  in  half  an  hour,"  I  cried  exult 
antly. 

"  Did  he  see  her  go  down  ?  "  asked  the  chief 
eagerly. 

"  He  did,"  I  answered,  and  a  long  whistle  came 
over  the  wires. 

Through  dark  streets  and  light,  through  the  roar 
of  upper  Broadway  and  the  sombre  silence  of  lower 
Broadway  the  motor  ran,  and  I  tried  to  calm  my 
hurrying  brain.  The  excitement  which  had  pos 
sessed  me  every  day  of  the  week  was  still  over  me. 
The  awful  wonder  of  Joslinn's  tale  possessed  me, 
until  my  longed-for  beat  seemed  but  a  minor 
accident  in  the  great  happenings  of  the  world. 
Up  the  elevator  and  through  the  door  at  a  bound 
I  passed,  to  the  chief's  office.  He  reached  eagerly 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  43 

from  his  chair  for  my  copy.  Page  by  page  he  read 
silently,  as  I  sat  handing  them  to  him,  and  passing 
them  from  his  hands  to  the  boys  running  back 
and  forth  to  the  tubes.  I  could  hear  the  crash  of 
the  presses,  and  I  thought,  strangely  enough,  of 
Pendennis  and  Warrington  standing  in  Fleet 
Street  and  talking  of  the  mightiest  engine  in  the 
world,  —  the  press.  And  after  all,  it  was  my  story 
that  was  enlightening  the  world  through  those 
great  presses  below.  I  had  solved  the  mystery 
that  filled  the  newspapers  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific,  nay  more,  that  was  discussed  in  the  clubs 
of  London  and  of  Tokio,  and  my  story  would  go 
through  them  all.  I  had  won.  Twice  only  I 
stopped  in  giving  the  copy  to  the  chief,  once  to 
light  my  pipe,  and  once  to  look  up  Joslinn.  I 
found  him  easily  in  the  directory  and  in  Brad- 
street's.  He  was  evidently  a  man  of  complete 
reliability. 

The  last  page  had  gone  down  the  tube,  and  the 
chief  leaned  back  and  meditatively  took  up  his 
pipe. 

"  That's  the  best  stuff  for  some  years,  Orring- 
ton,"  he  said.  "  I  guess  you'd  better  take  this  as 
a  permanent  assignment.  The  prophecy  was  a 
long  chance,  but  I  guess  we'll  take  it.  Now  go  to 
bed." 

I  slept  till  ten,  but  once  up,  I  read  my  story  with 
huge  approval  in  my  early  paper,  and  saw  every- 


44  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

body  else  reading  it,  as  I  went  down  town.  My 
ears  were  rilled  with  excited  comment,  and  I  ex 
amined  with  much  glee  the  pained  comments  or 
total  silence  of  our  contemporaries.  Especially 
did  they  condemn  my  prophecy.  Reaching  the 
office,  I  stopped  on  the  first  floor  to  get  a  late  edi 
tion,  among  a  general  stare  which  I  endeavored 
to  bear  modestly.  At  the  elevator  door,  I  paused. 
"  Should  I  walk  or  ride  ?  Walk  it  is,"  I  decided. 
I  wanted  to  stop  in  the  hall  outside  the  big  office 
to  look  over  my  story  again.  As  I  sat  in  the  hall 
window,  I  looked  down.  I  could  see  a  multitude 
before  our  bulletin  board.  None  of  the  other 
papers  had  any  crowd  at  all.  As  I  looked,  the 
throng  went  wild.  A  great  roar  rose,  and  the  mass 
seethed  and  swayed  as  they  gazed  at  the  bulletin 
below  me,  but  out  of  my  sight.  "  Something's 
up,"  I  said  to  myself,  and  bolted  for  the  office. 
The  reporters  and  editors  were  all  clustered  in  one 
corner.  As  they  saw  me,  a  shout  went  up. 

"  Orrington,    the    British    battleship    Dread 
nought,  Number  8,  has  disappeared  !  " 


CHAPTER   IV 

THE  disappearance  of  His  Britannic  Majesty's 
battleship  Dreadnought  Number  8  sent  the  world 
wild.  Two  great  nations  had  suffered  severe  blows, 
and  lay  in  quivering  expectation  of  the  future. 
The  chief  of  my  paper  smiled  at  me  more  ami 
cably  than  ever  before,  as  I  entered  the  office  the 
third  day  after  the  British  battleship  disappeared 
utterly  in  the  channel. 

"  You'd  better  run  that  prophecy  of  yours 
about  the  French  battleship  to-day,"  he  said, 
"  and  then  keep  out  of  the  office.  I  don't  want 
you  to  be  in  evidence.  We've  got  too  good  a  thing 
to  take  any  chances.  Work  as  hard  as  you  want 
to  on  the  assignment,  but  don't  appear  publicly.'* 

I  nodded  acquiescence. 

"  By  the  way,"  he  went  on,  "  just  how  many 
people  outside  our  own  staff  know  of  the  second 
letter  ?  " 

"  Seven,"  I  answered.  "  The  President,  the 
Secretary  of  War,  the  two  Haldanes  and  their 
cousin  Mrs.  Hartnell,  Richard  Regnier  and  John 
King.  The  former  Secretary  of  the  Navy  did 
know,  but  he's  dead.  They  are  all  pledged  to 

46 


46  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

secrecy,  and  all  have  kept  the  story  wholly  to 
themselves." 

"  That's  all,"  said  the  chief,  and  I  left. 

That  night  I  sent  in  a  prediction  that  a  French 
battleship  would  sink  within  a  week,  and  then 
spent  the  next  few  days  going  over  the  naval 
registers  of  the  nations,  and  in  correlating  the 
mass  of  data  concerning  the  navies  of  the  world, 
which  had  been  collected  at  the  office  by  my  re 
quest.  I  wanted  to  get  all  the  information  con 
cerning  the  subject  in  hand  that  I  could  possibly 
obtain. 

Immersed  in  masses  of  data,  struggling  with 
theory  after  theory  that  arose  only  to  be  rejected, 
I  passed  the  week.  Weary  from  my  labors,  one 
afternoon  I  left  my  work  to  go  to  the  Haldanes 
to  report  progress.  Tom  and  Dorothy  were  both 
immersed  in  a  research  Tom  was  carrying  on, 
but  they  always  had  time  to  discuss  the  great 
question. 

"  I  had  a  letter  from  Dick  Regnier  yesterday," 
said  Dorothy,  the  first  words  over.  "  He  says  he 
is  doing  some  work  he  has  long  wanted  to  do. 
He  speaks  of  seeing  John  King  at  Cowes.  John 
had  his  new  yacht  down  there." 

I  followed  every  word  intently.  "  Nothing  at 
all  about  the  loss  of  the  Alaska  or  the  Dreadnought 
Number  8  ?  "  I  asked  significantly. 

"  No,"  answered  Dorothy. 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  47 

"  When  was  the  letter  mailed  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Two  days  after  the  British  ship  went  down," 
she  answered.  "  But  —  She  stopped  as  Tom 
came  in.  I  continued  the  conversation  no  farther. 

As  I  left,  Tom  called  after  me.  "  I've  been 
fooling  with  some  phosphorescent  paint,"  he  said, 
"  and  I've  run  down  a  few  interesting  results. 
Don't  you  want  to  come  up  to  the  laboratory  to 
morrow  morning  about  three  o'clock  ?  We're 
going  to  run  some  tests  between  twelve  midnight, 
and  five  in  the  morning,  so  as  to  have  the  least 
current  and  vibration  that  the  city  can  give." 

"  I'll  be  glad  to  come,"  I  answered  instantly. 
No  chance  to  be  near  Dorothy  was  ever  to  be  re 
fused. 

The  last  revellers  were  just  passing  from  the 
great  white  way,  as  I  rode  up  town  in  a  late  sur 
face  car,  which  held,  beside  myself,  only  a  few 
dull  and  sleepy  workers.  I  was  ahead  of  time 
and,  as  I  came  up  near  Riverside  Drive,  I  jumped 
ofF  the  car  and  walked  down  towards  the  Drive 
and  up  by  the  river.  Below  me,  in  the  full  moon 
light,  lay  an  American  fleet.  The  white  sides  and 
lofty  turrets  of  the  ships  stood  sharply  outlined 
against  the  other  bank.  They  seemed  to  personify 
the  might  of  the  nation  resting  there  in  huge  im 
passive  stolidity,  fearful  of  nothing,  ready  for  all. 
Yet  as  I  remembered  Joslinn's  words,  "  vanished 
like  a  breaking  soap  bubble,"  spoken  of  the  Alaska, 


48  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

I  shuddered  at  the  helplessness  of  those  floating 
forts,  massive  as  they  were.  I  looked  at  my  watch 
in  the  moonlight.  Quarter  of  three.  I  turned 
and  made  my  way  to  the  gray  stone  building  on  the 
height,  which  held  the  research  laboratory. 

I  found  Tom  and  Dorothy  bending  over  a  series 
of  instruments  under  a  big  incandescent  light.  I 
watched  them  for  a  moment  silently,  then,  as  they 
rose  from  their  task,  I  greeted  them.  Never  had 
Dorothy  looked  more  charming  than  in  this  setting 
of  bare  walls  and  severe  tables,  hooded  instruments 
and  wires,  glass  cases  and  shelves.  Most  girls 
whom  I  had  seen  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
as  they  left  a  ballroom,  were  sorry  spectacles,  worn 
and  dishevelled.  Dorothy,  in  her  trim  working 
clothes,  was  as  fresh  as  a  summer's  morn.  Her 
first  greeting  over,  she  turned  to  her  work  again, 
adjusting  a  micrometer  levelling  screw. 

''  What  are  you  doing  ?  "  I  asked  idly. 

"  Adjusting  a  reflectoscope  to  detect  the  presence 
of  radio-active  waves.  Tom  is  just  going  to  have 
his  assistant  test  the  radium  he  is  to  use  to-night, 
and  has  half  a  dozen  reflectoscopes  here,"  and  she 
waved  her  hand  at  the  bench  before  her,  where 
half  a  dozen  similar  instruments  were  placed. 

'  They  are  a  good  deal  like  the  old  electroscopes, 
only  infinitely  more  sensitive.  You  see  that  gold 
leaf,"  she  pointed  to  two  tiny  ribbons  of  gold  that 
hung  limply  together,  "  when  a  wave  from  a  radio- 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  49 

active  source,  such  as  radium,  comes  along,  those 
ribbons  fly  apart.  All  our  reflectoscopes  are  dis 
charged  now,  but  they'll  be  charged  later." 

As  we  spoke,  Tom  joined  us.  "  I've  sent  Jones 
down-stairs  for  the  radium  in  the  safe,  Dorothy," 
he  said,  and  we  three  stood  looking  silently  at  the 
instruments  before  us.  Through  the  open  windows 
a  fresh  breeze  fluttered  in,  and  the  soft  night  gave 
back  but  the  slightest  hum,  a  minimum  of  that 
sound  that  never  ceases  in  the  quietest  hours  of 
the  great  city.  A  church  tower  rang  out  —  One, 
Two,  Three,  Four.  Tom  glanced  at  the  chronom 
eter.  "  Just  right,"  he  said,  and  looked  back. 
A  strange  hush  filled  the  air.  Again  a  terrific  force 
seemed  to  be  pulling  me  towards  Dorothy,  but  my 
eyes  never  turned  from  the  reflectoscopes.  Sud 
denly,  as  I  gazed,  the  golden  ribbons  sprang  to 
life,  parted  and  stood  stifHy  separate. 

"  Good  heavens  !  "  cried  Tom.  "  What  did 
that  ?  They  were  perfectly  insulated.  What  did 
that,  Dorothy  ?  It  must  be  Jones  bringing  the 
radium." 

Dorothy's  eyes  glowed  with  excited  interest. 
"  I  don't  think  it  was  Jones,"  she  said  eagerly. 
"  I  believe  I  know  what  it  was,  but  anyway,  let's 
go  first  and  see  where  Jones  is.  There's  abso 
lutely  nothing  else  in  the  laboratory  that  could 
have  charged  them,  insulated  as  they  were." 

Down  the  stairs,  flight  after  flight,  four  in  all, 


50  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

we  trooped,  and  found  Jones  in  an  office  on  the 
first  floor,  seated  in  a  chair  before  the  safe,  and 
looking  disconsolately  at  its  closed  door.  At  Tom's 
voice,  he  rose. 

"  Professor,  I've  forgotten  the  combination 
again.  I  was  sitting  here  trying  to  bring  it  to 
mind." 

"  Then  you  haven't  taken  the  radium  from  the 
safe  at  all  ?  "  shouted  Tom,  in  wild  excitement. 

"  No,"  answered  Jones,  staring  in  amazement. 
'  Then  how  in  blazes  did  those  reflectoscopes 
get  charged  ?  " 

Jones  showed  a  sudden  interest,  "  Have  they 
got  charged  again  ?  " 

"  Yes,  have  they  been  charged  before  ?  " 

*  Twice  before,  and  I  meant  to  speak  to  you 
about  it,  but  it  slipped  my  mind." 

"  When  did  it  happen  ?  "  Dorothy  broke  in. 

''  I've  got  full  particulars  noted  down,  up-stairs," 
said  Jones.  :'  But  how  about  the  combination  ?  " 

"  Never  mind  that,"  cried  Tom.  "  Let  me  see 
your  data." 

Rapidly  we  ascended,  the  slower  Jones  follow 
ing  some  way  behind.  In  the  laboratory  the  assist 
ant  turned  to  a  littered  desk  and  fumbled  among 
a  mass  of  papers.  I  could  see  that  Dorothy  was 
burning  with  impatience  which  I  could  not  under 
stand.  Jones  fumbled  on,  picking  up  paper  after 
paper,  peering  at  them  blindly  through  his  black- 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  51 

rimmed  spectacles.  Tom  seized  my  arm  and 
walked  me  down  the  room  impatiently. 

"  That  man  will  drive  me  mad  some  day,"  he 
exclaimed.  "  He's  the  most  accurate  investigator 
and  observer  we  ever  had,  but  he  keeps  his  desk 
in  an  unspeakable  mess.  He's  got  that  data 
somewhere,  and  when  he  finds  it,  it  will  be  correct, 
but  he'll  take  perhaps  an  hour  to  find  it.  There, 
thank  the  Lord !  "  he  remarked,  as  we  turned 
back,  "  Dorothy's  taking  a  hand." 

Then  came  order  from  chaos,  regularity  from 
irregularity.  Paper  by  paper  was  read,  rejected 
and  placed  in  its  appropriate  place,  while  Jones 
looked  on,  by  no  means  displeased.  Scarcely  five 
minutes  had  passed,  and  the  desk  had  assumed 
an  order  foreign  to  its  nature.  Ten  minutes 
passed,  and  Dorothy  turned.  "  It  isn't  here,  Mr. 
Jones.  Now  think,  where  did  you  put  it  ?  " 

Jones  seized  the  knotty  problem,  bent  his  mind 
to  it,  struggled  with  it,  emerged  victorious.  "  I 
know,"  he  said.  "  It's  in  the  middle  of  that  black, 
leather  note-book  in  the  third  right-hand  drawer." 

Before  he  had  finished,  the  note-book  was  in 
Dorothy's  hand,  was  open,  and  a  paper  fluttered 
out  into  her  lap.  She  picked  it  up  and  read, 
"  Juty  3^>  *9 — •  Reflectoscopes  charged  without 
apparent  cause  at  3.45-30  P.  M.;  July  nth, 
19 — .  Reflectoscopes  charged  without  apparent 
cause  between  9.35  and  10.10  P.  M." 


52  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

"  I  thought  so,  I  thought  so,"  said  Dorothy, 
jumping  from  her  chair.  "  Tom,  it's  as  straight 
as  a  die.  Oh,  Jim,  it's  a  big  step." 

Tom  looked  as  bewildered  as  poor  Jones  had 
seemed  before  the  safe,  or  as  he  did  now.  I  was 
thoroughly  puzzled.  The  only  thing  that  struck 
me  forcibly  was  that  Dorothy  had  called  me  by  my 
first  name.  That  was  a  big  step  surely,  but  evi 
dently  it  was  not  the  step  she  meant.  Dorothy  saw 
our  bewilderment,  and  went  on  emphatically. 

"  You  are  stupid.  I'd  like  to  know  how  far  you 
men  would  get  in  this  world  without  women  to 
find  things  out  for  you.  What  happened  on  July 
3d  in  the  afternoon,  and  what  occurred  sometime 
in  the  evening,  our  time,  on  July  nth  ?  " 

Tom  and  I  stood  still,  looking  at  each  other  in 
bewilderment.  Suddenly  I  saw  a  great  light. 

'  Why,  those  were  the  times  the  Alaska  and  the 
Dreadnought  Number  8  disappeared  !  "  I  shouted, 
in  wildest  excitement,  "  and  just  now.'* 

"  A  French  battleship  went  down,"  said  Dor 
othy  gravely.  "  And,  -  "  she  broke  her  sentence 
with  a  brief  sob,  "  the  poor  wives  and  children." 

We  had  turned  instinctively  to  watch  the  golden 
ribbons  that  told  of  the  sinking  of  the  proud  battle 
ship,  and  of  the  death  of  hundreds,  and  I  bowed 
my  head  as  when  the  death  angel  comes  close 
beside  us  in  his  flight.  A  moment's  silence,  and 
Tom  turned  to  Jones. 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  53 

"  If  you  don't  mind,  Jones,  I  wish  you  would 
say  nothing  of  this,  no  matter  what  you  see  or  hear. 
We  shall  do  no  more  to-night;  you  may  go  home.*' 

With  Jones'  departure,  we  began  another  coun 
cil.  Tom  drew  out  his  pipe.  "  Dorothy,  I  know 
Jim  and  I  need  to  smoke  over  this,  do  you 
mind  ?  "  and  at  her  word  we  filled  our  pipes  and 
invoked  the  help  of  that  great  aid  to  philosophers, 
tobacco.  Dorothy  was  at  the  desk,  her  brow 
knotted  in  deep  thought.  Tom  and  I  sat  on  a  side 
bench  against  the  wall,  facing  her.  The  dawn 
was  coming  in  through  the  wide  windows,  and  the 
city  stirred  as  we  talked. 

'  Your  theory  about  the  disintegrating  steel  of 
the  battleships  was  evidently  wrong,  Tom,"  said 
Dorothy.  '  The  wave  that  charged  the  reflecto- 
scopes  was  a  wave  definitely  projected  from  some 
definite  place." 

*  Yes,"  said  Tom  musingly.  "  I  was  wrong. 
The  man  who  is  trying  to  stop  all  war  must  have 
some  radio-active  generator,  some  means  of  wave 
disturbance  greater  than  anything  we  have  yet 
attained.  As  a  man  starts  a  dynamo,  and  uses  the 
electricity  it  furnishes  to  do  work,  so  this  man 
starts  this  unknown  engine  of  destruction,  and  its 
waves  destroy  the  ship." 

'*  But  how  could  he  possibly  cause  a  ship  to 
vanish  without  a  sound  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Of  course,  I'm  not  perfectly  sure,"  answered 


54  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

Dorothy.  "  But  the  moment  the  reflectoscopes 
were  charged,  I  thought  of  a  possible  theory.  His 
force,  so  powerful  that  it  affects  our  reflectoscopes 
thousands  of  miles  away,  may  be  able  to  resolve 
the  metal  which  makes  up  a  battleship  into  its 
electrons,  which  would  disappear  as  intangible 
gas." 

"  What  are  electrons  ?  "  I  persisted.  "  I've 
heard  of  them,  of  course,  but  I'm  not  quite  sure 
what  they  are." 

"  They're  the  very  smallest  division  of  matter, 
the  infinitely  small  particles  that  make  up  the 
atom.  If  a  man  could  find  a  way  to  break  matter 
down  to  them,  it's  entirely  possible  that  they 
would  then  go  off  as  a  gas.  The  waves  the  man 
sends  out  must  be  terrifically  strong,  anyway.  One 
thing  I  don't  see,  though,  is  how  he  could  break 
down  organic  matter.  He  could  break  down 
everything  metallic,  perhaps,  but  I  don't  see  how 
he  could  break  down  wood  —  or  human  beings," 
she  ended,  with  a  shudder. 

"  Part  of  that's  easy,"  said  Tom,  with  a  long 
whiff  at  his  pipe.  "  Absolutely  no  wood  for  the 
last  two  years  on  any  battleship.  All  nations  have 
taken  out  what  wood  they  had  on  their  new  ships 
and  put  in  metal  of  some  sort.  I  don't  know  about 
the  action  on  man;  it's  not  essential  to  settle  that 
now." 

The  excitement  of  the  moment  had  been  so  great, 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  55 

standing  in  the  midst  of  history  making  had  been 
so  poignant,  that  for  the  nonce  my  newspaper 
instinct  had  been  lost  in  the  stronger  thrill.  Now 
it  suddenly  awoke. 

"  Great  Scott !  "  I  cried.  "  I  must  get  this  to 
the  paper  instantly.  Where's  the  telephone  ?  " 

Without  a  word,  Tom  pointed  to  the  desk  'phone 
on  his  own  desk,  and  I  rushed  over  to  it.  Again 
and  again  I  rang,  with  no  response.  "  I  can't  get 
Central,"  I  said. 

Tom  looked  at  the  clock.  '*  It's  a  branch  ex 
change,  but  there's  usually  some  one  on  our  ex 
change  board  by  now.  I'll  try." 

Five  more  precious  minutes  were  lost  in  his 
attempt  to  gain  the  board.  At  last  he  looked  up. 
"  No  use,  Jim." 

I  waited  for  no  more,  but  grabbed  my  hat  and 
ran  down  the  long  flights.  Out  across  the  square 
I  sped  and  down  the  street.  A  blue  bell  showed 
on  the  corner  in  a  small  store.  I  ran  to  it  — 
locked.  Another  block,  and  I  had  the  same  ex 
perience.  At  the  third,  a  corner  drug  store,  I  met 
success.  A  yawning  boy, .sweeping  out  the  store, 
gazed  with  open  mouth  as,  hot  and  perspiring 
from  my  run,  I  hurried  in  and  rushed  to  the  booth. 
In  a  moment  I  had  the  office  and  the  night  editor's 
desk,  had  told  him  who  I  was,  and  began  to  dic 
tate.  "  At  one  minute  past  four  by  our  time  (see 
what  time  Paris  time  is  for  that,  and  put  it  in)  a 


56  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

French  battleship  was  sunk  by  the  man  who  is  to 
stop  all  war.  Probably  no  one  on  board  escaped." 
That  last  was  a  guess  based  on  the  experience  of 
the  past.  The  night  editor's  voice  came  back. 

"  Feel  sure  of  this,  Orrington  ?  " 

"  Very  sure,"  I  said. 

"  I  hate  to  run  a  thing  like  this  on  a  chance." 

"  The  chief  said  to  run  anything  I  sent,  didn't 
he  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  the  night  editor. 

"  Well,  rush  it  in  then,  before  word  comes." 

"  All  right,  if  you  insist,"  came  back,  and  I 
hung  up  the  'phone,  paid  my  fee,  and  departed. 

I  slept  like  a  log  until  eleven,  then  rose  to  gather 
in  the  file  of  morning  papers  outside  my  door. 
My  statement  was  in  big  headlines  in  my  own 
paper.  No  other  morning  paper  had  a  single 
word  of  it.  I  paused  at  the  news-stand,  as  I  went 
down  to  breakfast.  Staring  from  every  paper  was 
the  headline,  "  La  Patrie  Number  3  disappeared. 
French  battleship  follows  the  Alaska  and  the 
Dreadnought  Number  8." 

They  had  the  news  from  France  five  hours  after 
we  had  published  it.  Leisurely  I  ate  my  break 
fast,  the  while  I  read  the  late  news  of  my  rivals, 
turning  with  especial  interest  to  an  editorial  of  my 
own  paper,  commenting  on  my  work  and  review 
ing  the  situation.  "  This  should  mean  another 
big  jump  in  circulation,"  I  thought  to  myself, 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  57 

"  and  another  jump  in  salary,  too."  My  salary 
was  really  getting  up  to  a  point  where  marriage 
was  the  only  sensible  thing  for  a  man  to  do.  I 
was  to  meet  the  Haldanes  at  three.  I  won 
dered  how  long  an  acquaintance  should  last 
before  one  could  propose. 

As  I  sipped  my  last  cup  of  coffee,  I  saw  two  men 
in  the  dining-room  door  speaking  to  a  waiter,  who 
nodded,  and  led  them  my  way.  They  were  not 
the  type  of  men  who  usually  breakfasted  in  the 
restaurant.  Just  before  me  they  stopped. 

"  Mr.  Orrington  ?  "  said  one  inquiringly. 

"  I  am  James  Orrington,"  I  answered.  The 
waiter  had  gone  back  to  the  kitchen.  We  were 
left  alone  in  the  rear  of  the  dining-room.  The  man 
who  had  spoken  opened  his  coat  and  showed  a 
silver  shield. 

"  We  are  secret  service  officials.  You  are  under 
arrest." 


CHAPTER   V 

"  THIS  is  an  outrage,"  I  exclaimed  indignantly. 
"  Why  should  I  be  put  under  arrest  ?  " 

"  On  complaint  of  the  French  government  as 
being  concerned  in  the  sinking  of  the  French 
battleship  La  Patrie  Number  3  off  Brest  this 
morning,"  replied  the  officer  coolly.  "  As  it  is  an 
international  complaint,  it  came  under  the  Federal 
courts,  and  we  were  empowered  to  make  the 
arrest." 

As  he  spoke,  the  whole  thing  flashed  across  me. 
My  predictions  of  the  destruction  of  the  Dread 
nought  Number  8  and  of  La  Patrie  Number  3  had 
come  true.  I  had  told  of  the  sinking  at  the  very 
moment  it  occurred.  My  story  had  been  spread 
over  the  world  by  cable  and  by  wireless,  and  my 
arrest  as  an  accomplice  in  the  act  was  the  result. 
I  immediately  felt  more  cheerful. 

"  The  charge  is  too  absurd  to  stand  for  a  mo 
ment,"  I  said.  "  I  am  entirely  ready  to  go  with 
you." 

Back  up-stairs  with  my  two  companions  I 
went  for  my  hat,  and  then  I  accompanied  them  to 
the  Federal  building.  The  inquiry  was  sharp  and 

58 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  59 

searching.  I  admitted  unhesitatingly  that  I  had 
written  the  original  account  of  the  sinking  of  the 
Alaska  and  had  prophesied  the  loss  of  the  Dread 
nought  Number  8  and  of  La  Patrie  Number  3, 
also  that  I  had  given  information  of  the  sinking 
of  the  ship  an  hour  or  two  before  it  had  been 
known  in  France.  On  being  questioned  as  to  the 
source  of  my  knowledge,  I  gave  the  account  al 
ready  published  of  the  discovery  of  the  man  who 
saw  the  Alaska  disappear,  and  spoke  of  the  original 
letter  sent  by  the  man  who  intended  to  stop  all  war. 
Of  the  two  essential  factors,  the  discovery  of  the 
hidden  letter  and  the  charging  of  the  reflectoscopes, 
I  did  not  speak.  These  were  valuable  assets  to  me, 
as  long  as  they  were  not  made  public.  I  could  not 
throw  them  away.  They  meant  higher  salary, 
greater  reputation,  and  these  things  meant  a  third, 
far  more  essential  than  either. 

My  story  done,  the  judge  sat  for  some  moments 
without  moving.  Finally  he  spoke.  "  Frankly, 
Mr.  Orrington,  I  cannot  see  that  you  have  ex 
plained  that  inside  information  which  enabled  you 
to  make  your  predictions,  or  tell  of  the  loss  of  the 
La  Patrie  Number  3.  You  are  the  only  person 
who  seems  to  know  anything  of  this.  You  offer 
no  explanation  of  your  knowledge.  I  do  not  see 
that  I  can  do  otherwise  than  commit  you  without 
bail." 

Commit  me  without  bail,  keep  me  from  follow- 


60  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

ing  out  my  assignment,  keep  me  from  seeing 
Dorothy  !  I  thought  rapidly.  Of  course  there  was 
a  solution.  I  addressed  the  judge. 

"  Your  honor,  I  gave  this  information  in  ad- 

'  O 

vance  to  the  President  and  to  the  Secretary  of  War. 
If  you  will  get  either  one  of  them  on  the  telephone, 
they  will  corroborate  my  words." 

The  judge's  attitude  changed.  "  If  that  proves 
correct,  I  shall  have  no  reason  to  detain  you,"  he 
said,  and,  turning  to  a  court  officer,  he  ordered 
him  to  call  up  Washington,  state  the  case  to  the 
President's  private  secretary,  and  ask  the  President 
for  a  statement. 

"  If  you  cannot  get  the  President,  get  the  Secre 
tary  of  War,"  I  broke  in,  and  the  judge  said,  "  Very 
well." 

I  did  not  want  to  bring  the  office  into  this  at 
all  if  I  could  help  it.  I  was  out  playing  a  lone  hand, 
with  the  whole  responsibility  resting  on  me,  and  I 
did  not  wish  to  ask  for  aid  if  I  could  possibly  avoid 
it.  I  thought  of  the  Haldanes,  but  decided  to  save 
them  for  a  last  resort.  I  could  not  bear  to  think 
of  Dorothy  in  the  courtroom.  For  a  long  half 
hour  I  waited,  reading  the  morning  papers,  till  the 
return  of  the  messenger.  He  entered  and  walked 
before  the  bench. 

*  Your  honor,  the  President  has  gone  shooting 
in  Virginia.  He  will  not  return  for  three  days,  and 
can  only  be  seen  on  urgent  official  business.  The 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  61 

Secretary  of  War  is  dangerously  ill  and  cannot 
be  disturbed." 

I  remembered  with  a  shock  that  I  had  seen  the 
second  fact  in  the  newspapers.  Of  the  first  I  had 
no  knowledge.  As  he  heard  the  news,  the  judge 
again  shook  his  head.  "  I  cannot  release  you  on 
that  mere  statement,  Mr.  Orrington.  Is  there 
anything  else  you  would  like  to  have  done  ?  " 

I  gave  way  with  an  inward  sigh.  "  Yes,  tele 
phone,  if  you  will,  to  Professor  Thomas  Haldane 
at  his  laboratory,  saying  that  I  am  under  arrest 
here,  and  ask  him  to  come  and  bring  a  lawyer." 

Another  weary  period  of  waiting  in  the  stifling 
heat  passed  before  the  door  opened  and  Tom 
entered,  accompanied  by  another  man. 

"  Hello,  old  man.  This  is  a  shame,"  ejaculated 
Tom,  as  he  came  towards  me.  As  his  lawyer  went 
up  to  the  bench  for  an  interview  with  the  judge, 
he  went  on  in  a  lower  tone.  "  It  is  a  shame,  Jim, 
but  I  expected  it." 

''  What  ?  "  I  said  in  amazement. 

'''  I  expected  it,"  repeated  Tom.  "  It  was  the 
only  logical  outcome  of  your  prophecies.  You 
had  too  much  inside  information.  People  couldn't 
help  suspecting  you  knew  more  than  you  had  told. 
You  were  the  only  person  on  whom  they  could  lay 
their  hands.  It's  really  not  surprising  at  all  that 
you  are  here.  The  only  thing  is,  we've  got  to  get 
you  out  of  this  right  off." 


62  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

He  turned  to  the  lawyer.  "  Can't  you  get  the 
judge  to  take  my  word  that  I  know  all  the  circum 
stances,  and  can  swear  to  Mr.  Orrington's  inno 
cence  ?  " 

The  lawyer  went  up  to  the  bench  and  had  a 
brief  conversation  with  the  judge.  In  a  few  mo 
ments  he  returned.  "  I  hope  I've  solved  the 
difficulty,"  said  he.  '  The  judge  will  accept  your 
statement  and  Mr.  Orrington's  together.  If  you 
will  explain  the  whole  thing  to  him,  he  will  see  that 
it  goes  to  no  one  save  the  Attorney  General." 

"  You'd  better  do  it,"  said  Tom  briefly. 

"  I  suppose  I'll  have  to,"  I  replied.  We  ad 
journed  to  the  judge's  private  office  and  told  the 
whole  story. 

"  I  can  understand,"  said  the  judge,  as  I  fin 
ished,  "  that  the  story  of  the  disappearance  of  the 
French  battleship  might  be  a  lucky  guess,  once 
given  the  letter  of  which  you  speak,  but  the  narra 
tive  as  told  by  you  seems  almost  too  incredible  to 
be  admitted  as  evidence.  Is  this  letter  containing 
the  second  message  still  in  your  possession  ?  " 

"  No,"  I  said,  and  hesitated. 

Tom  broke  in.  "  It's  in  my  sister's  hands, 
judge.  She  has  had  it  ever  since  that  first  night. 
If  you  will  wait  I  will  get  some  radium  from  my 
laboratory  and  show  the  hidden  message  to  you." 

"  It  could  not,  then,  disappear  in  the  time  which 
has  elapsed  ?  "  queried  the  judge. 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  63 

"  No,"  answered  Tom,  decisively.  "  I  have 
been  experimenting  with  inks  of  that  kind  since  I 
knew  of  this,  and  I  should  say  unhesitatingly  that 
it  would  still  be  there,  although  I've  never  hap 
pened  to  see  it  myself.  I'll  bring  the  things  back 
at  once.  My  motor  is  at  the  door." 

By  that  time  I  had  exhausted  the  news  possi 
bilities  of  the  newspapers  and  was  left  to  the  real 
estate  columns.  '  Which  was  better  for  a  young 
couple,  a  small  apartment  in  the  city  or  a  suburban 
home  ?  "  That  was  a  question  which  made  even 
the  flamboyant  advertisements  of  farthest  Sub 
urbia  a  matter  of  deep  and  abiding  interest  to  me. 
I  was  half  through  the  columns  when,  to  my  joy 
and  surprise,  the  door  opened,  and  Dorothy  en 
tered,  followed  by  Tom  and  the  lawyer.  At  her 
coming,  the  nodding  court  officer  roused  and  be 
came  a  model  of  soldierly  deportment,  the  secret 
service  men  straightened  in  their  chairs,  the  judge 
felt  of  his  tie  and  rose  hastily  to  offer  a  seat  beside 
him  with  a  courtly  bow.  Gracious  and  stately, 
Dorothy  bowed  to  him,  but  she  came  to  me. 

"  Oh,  Jim,"  she  said,  in  a  low  voice,  "  what  a 
shame.  I  am  so  glad  I  was  here  to  help." 

I  passed  the  gap  from  Miss  Haldane  to  Dorothy 
at  a  bound.  "  Dorothy,"  I  answered,  "  I'm  so 
glad  you  were." 

After  that  how  little  mattered  the  long  weary 
afternoon.  It  took  but  a  few  minutes  to  arrange  a 


64  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

closet  off  the  judge's  room  for  the  exhibition  of  the 
evidence.  As  Dorothy  brought  forth  the  letter 
which  had  been  the  forerunner  of  three  mighty 
tragedies,  the  judge  asked  to  see  it,  and  read  it 
curiously. 

"  And  there  is  a  second  letter  below  this,  Miss 
Haldane  ?  "  he  queried. 

"  Yes,"  answered  Dorothy,  "  I  have  seen  it." 

"  Have  you  had  this  in  your  possession  ever 
since  the  night's  meeting  of  which  your  brother 
and  Mr.  Orrington  spoke  ?  "  he  asked  again. 

"  It  has  been  in  my  personal  possession,  or  in  a 
locked  drawer  of  my  own,  in  a  locked  safe  in  my 
own  house,"  replied  Dorothy.  "  I  asked  Mr. 
Orrington  for  it,  as  I  intended  to  make  some  tests 
with  my  brother  on  the  ink.  We  have,  however, 
not  used  it  as  yet." 

"  You  are  ready  to  swear  that  this  is  the  original 
letter  ?  " 

"  I  am,"  said  Dorothy  calmly. 

"  Very  well,  then,  let  us  go  on  with  the  test." 

The  letter  was  placed  open  as  before,  with  the 
radium  in  its  leaden  case  before  it.  Tom  threw 
back  the  cover,  as  we  sat  in  front  of  the  table,  and 
turned  off  the  lights.  I  waited  as  before,  beside 
Dorothy.  If  I  had  felt  a  tightening  bond  before, 
I  felt  one  a  thousand  times  stronger  now.  I  had 
seen  the  dear  girl  beside  me  day  in  and  day  out 
since  our  first  meeting,  and  never  had  she  failed 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  65 

to  show  the  same  fire  of  brilliant  imagination,  the 
same  power  of  achievement.  She  had  blazed  my 
path  to  success  in  the  weeks  past.  She  had  come 
to  help  me  in  my  distress  to-day.  To  gain  her  had 
become  the  whole  end  of  my  life.  I  looked  into 
the  darkness  towards  the  letter,  expecting  each 
moment  to  see  the  curves  and  lines  springing  out 
luminous.  Minute  after  minute  passed.  I  could 
hear  the  ticking  of  the  great  clock,  two  rooms 
away,  and  the  stifled  roar  of  the  summer  afternoon 
in  the  great  city,  but  the  darkness  held  no  light. 
No  line  appeared.  Finally  Tom  spoke. 

"  How  long  an  exposure  did  you  give  it  last  time, 
Dorothy  ?  " 

*  Two  or  three  minutes,"  said  she.  He  rose, 
turned  on  the  lights  and  looked  at  his  watch. 

'*  Twelve  minutes  and  no  results.  It's  the  same 
lot  of  radium,  too.  Look  this  over  with  me,  will 
you,  Dorothy  ?  " 

They  examined  the  apparatus  carefully,  turned 
off  the  light  and  tried  again.  No  result.  Tom 
went  back  into  the  other  room  and  brought  an 
other  sample  of  radium  and  used  that.  Still  no 
result.  At  last  he  turned  on  the  lights  and  spoke. 
"  I  can't  understand,  judge,  but  I  cannot  bring 
out  the  second  letter." 

The  judge  rose  blinking.  "  According  to  your 
own  statements,"  he  said,  "  the  letter  has  not  been 
out  of  Miss  Haldane's  possession  at  all,  and  the 


66  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

message  once  on  there  could  not  disappear.  I 
fear  I  shall  have  to  hold  Mr.  Orrington  after  all, 
till  we  can  hear  from  the  President." 

My  heart  sank.     Tom  turned  to  me. 

"  Never  you  mind,  Jim,  we'll  find  the  President 
for  you,  and  have  you  out  inside  two  days." 

I  smiled  somewhat  wearily.  "  You  mustn't 
leave  your  work  to  do  that,  Tom." 

Dorothy  broke  in.  "  We  can't  work  alone.  It 
needs  all  three  of  us  to  get  anywhere,  doesn't  it, 
Tom  ? " 

"  Sure  thing,"  said  Tom  sturdily,  and  they  left 
me,  but  not  before  Dorothy  had  given  me  a  word 
of  comfort  that  was  a  stay  in  time  of  trouble. 

I  had  often  watched  the  gloomy  walls  of  the 
prison  as  I  passed,  and  wondered  at  the  sensations 
of  the  prisoners  when  the  gates  closed  behind  them. 
My  sensations  as  I  drove  into  the  courtyard  and 
passed  up  the  stairs,  into  the  cell  whose  iron  gate 
clanged  shut  behind  me,  were  all  poignant  enough, 
but  I  could  not  be  wholly  downhearted.  The 
whole  thing  seemed  utterly  absurd,  yet  as  night 
came  on,  a  deep  gloom  gradually  settled  over  me. 
I  could  not  see  my  way  out.  "  Suppose  the  Presi 
dent  and  Secretary  of  War  should  both  die,  as  had 
the  last  Secretary  of  the  Navy !  "  I  had  no  proof 
but  the  letter  and  the  witnesses  who  saw  the  second 
message  shine  forth,  and  with  that  thought  of  wit 
nesses  came  back  the  puzzling  question,  "  Why 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  67 

did  not  the  second  message  appear  ?  "  It  had  been 
there.  I  had  seen  it  with  my  own  eyes.  Dorothy, 
Mrs.  Hartnell,  John  King,  Regnier, —  each  and 
all  had  seen  it  and  read  it.  Tom  had  declared  it 
impossible  for  the  writing  to  disappear.  What 
could  be  the  explanation  ?  One  thought  kept  com 
ing,  returning  to  my  mind  again  and  again,  as  I 
sat  on  the  edge  of  my  narrow  cot,  watching  the 
barred  moonlight  streaming  through  the  great 
window  opposite  my  tier.  The  letter  must  have 
been  changed.  The  letter  which  we  examined  in 
the  judge's  room  could  not  be  the  same  as  that 
which  had  shown  us  the  second  message.  Some 
where,  somehow,  an  exchange  must  have  been 
effected.  It  could  have  been  no  easy  matter, 
either.  Parchment  of  the  kind  used  in  all  the  letters 
was  no  easy  thing  to  come  by.  It  could  by  no 
means  be  bought  in  every  stationer's  store,  nor 
could  so  complete  a  copy  of  the  message  be  pro 
duced  without  much  trouble  and  labor.  Only 
one  man  would  be  likely  to  have  such  a  copy  ready 
at  hand,  without  the  second  message,  the  man 
who  was  trying  to  stop  all  war.  He  might  have 
an  extra  copy.  But  how  could  he  know  the  letter 
was  in  Dorothy's  hands  ?  How  could  he  get  a 
chance  to  change  the  papers  ?  Hour  after  hour, 
the  long  night  through,  I  struggled  with  the  ques 
tion,  and  with  the  morning  some  crystallization 
came  from  the  dull  haze  of  my  thoughts.  There 


68  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

was  one  time  and  place  where  a  man  might  easily 
make  an  exchange.  At  Mrs.  Hartnell's  house  in 
Washington,  in  the  time  which  elapsed  between 
the  closing  of  the  radium  case  and  the  turning  on 
of  the  lights.  It  might  be  improbable,  but  it  was 
the  only  solution  I  could  find.  Towards  early 
morning  I  dropped  off  into  a  troubled  sleep,  and 
dreamed  I  was  in  court,  where  Regnier,  as  judge, 
was  trying  me,  with  John  King  as  prosecuting 
attorney.  I  had  just  been  condemned  to  disap 
pear  as  had  the  Alaska,  when  Dorothy  sailed 
through  the  courtroom  in  the  Black  Arrow's 
launch,  with  Tom  at  the  wheel.  She  reached 
out  her  hand  to  me.  I  leaped  in  and  escaped. 

The  late  morning  brought  me  a  weary  and  ex 
hausted  waking.  I  had  breakfast  brought  in  from 
outside,  sent  word  to  the  office  that  I  would  not 
be  in  for  a  few  days,  a  by  no  means  uncommon 
thing  for  me  to  do  since  I  went  on  this  assignment, 
and  then  I  settled  down  to  wait.  I  got  enough 
waiting  before  eight  o'clock  that  evening  to  last 
me  the  rest  of  my  natural  life,  but  at  that  hour 
came  a  warder  with  a  short  request  to  follow  him 
to  the  office.  There  was  Tom,  good  fellow,  rush 
ing  towards  me  as  I  entered. 

'  You're  a  free  man,  Jim ;  I  have  the  order  for 
your  release,"  he  cried.  "  The  President  came  to 
your  rescue,  like  the  trump  he  is.  Hurry  up  now, 
and  come  to  our  house  for  a  late  dinner." 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  69 

The  clang  of  the  gates  behind  me  was  as  much 
music  to  my  ears  as  it  had  been  discord  on  my  en 
trance.  I  had  endured  all  the  prison  life  that  I 
wanted.  I  was  willing  to  leave  any  writing  up  of 
such  experiences  to  the  yellow  newspaper  reporter. 

Fifth  Avenue  never  seemed  so  gay.  New  York 
never  seemed  so  full  of  the  wine  of  life  as  on  that 
drive.  It  needed  only  Dorothy  to  make  it  com 
plete,  and  I  was  speeding  towards  her  as  rapidly 
as  the  speed  regulations  would  allow.  As  we  went 
on,  Tom  told  me  the  story  of  his  search  for  the 
President.  How  he  had  found  him  off  shooting 
in  Virginia  and  how  gladly  he  had  given  the 
word  for  my  release. 

Once  in  the  hall  of  the  Haldanes'  house,  Dorothy 
appeared  at  the  head  of  the  stairs.  "  Oh,  Jim  !  " 
she  cried.  Thank  Heaven  she  had  forgotten  all 
about  Mr.  Orrington  now.  "  Oh,  Jim,  I'm  so 
glad.  It's  all  right  now,  isn't  it  ?  " 

"  It  is,"  I  said  emphatically. 

She  hurried  down,  waving  a  blue  foreign-looking 
sheet.  "  Oh,  boys,  I've  got  the  best  thing  yet. 
We  can  tell  just  where  *  the  man  '  is  now.  I've 
just  found  out  the  way." 


CHAPTER   VI 

"  WHAT'S  the  new  find,  Dorothy  ?  "  asked  Tom, 
smiling  at  her  eagerness. 

"  A  letter  from  Carl  Denckel,"  she  replied. 

"  Impossible  !  "  cried  Tom.  '  The  dear  old 
boy  died  nine  months  ago." 

"  But  this  was  written  nearly  a  year  ago,"  she 
rejoined.  "  Look  at  this  envelope." 

The  big  blue  square  inscribed  in  crabbed  Ger 
man  script  was  filled  with  addresses.  "  See,"  said 
Dorothy.  "  He  thought  you  were  still  at  Columbia, 
so  he  addressed  it  to  Columbia,  America,  for 
getting  New  York.  His  '  u  '  was  so  much  like  an 
*  o  '  that  they  sent  it  to  Colombia,  South  America. 
It  travelled  half  over  South  America,  and  then 
they  sent  it  up  here.  It  went  to  three  or  four 
Columbias  and  Columbus's  in  different  States. 
Finally  some  bright  man  sent  it  to  the  University, 
and  they  sent  it  over  to  you.  It's  for  you  all  right." 

"  Read  it,  Dorothy.    What  does  he  say  ?  " 

"  An  Herrn  Doktor  Thomas  Haldane. 

"  Lieber  Professor:  —  Es  geht  mir  an  den 
tod  —  !  She  had  gone  thus  far  in  the  German, 
when  she  glanced  up  and  saw  my  uncomprehend 
ing  face.  '  The  German  too  much  for  you  ?  " 

70 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  71 

she  asked.    "  I'll  translate."    She  went  on  rapidly 
in  English. 

"  To  Doctor  Thomas  Haldane. 

"  Dear  Professor : 

"  I  am  about  to  die.  My  physician  tells  me  that 
I  have  less  than  a  month  left  to  work.  I  have  just 
completed  the  apparatus  which  had  engaged  my 
attention  exclusively  for  the  last  six  years,  —  my 
wave-measuring  machine.  By  means  of  this  ma 
chine,  any  wave  of  a  given  intensity  may  be  regis 
tered  as  regards  its  velocity  and  power." 

"  If  you  don't  mind,  I'd  like  to  break  in  right 
there,"  I  interrupted. 

"  Go  on,"  said  Tom. 

"  What  kind  of  waves  is  he  talking  about  ?  Is 
this  some  sort  of  a  machine  for  measuring  the 
tides  down  on  the  beach,  or  what  is  it  ?  " 

Tom  laughed.  "  Not  exactly,"  he  said. 
"  Denckel's  machine  is  to  measure  waves  like 
those  of  electrical  energy.  You  know,  don't  you, 
that  we  believe  wireless  messages  go  from  one 
station  to  another  by  means  of  ether  waves,  as  they 
call  them  ?  " 

I  nodded. 

'  Well,  Denckel  means  to  measure  waves  of 
that  kind,  and  waves  that  would  come  from  an  arc 
lamp  or  a  dynamo  or  a  piece  of  radium  or  anything 
like  that.  It's  to  measure  the  same  sort  of  wave 
that  charged  the  reflectoscopes,  in  short  —  See  ?  " 


72  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

"  I  do,"  I  answered.     "  But  — " 

"  Hold  on  till  we  finish  the  letter,  Jim,  and  we'li 
go  over  it."  I  subsided  and  Dorothy  went  on. 

"  More  than  that,  the  distance  from  the  point 
of  generation  of  the  wave,  and  the  exact  direction 
from  which  it  comes,  can  be  ascertained.  It  is, 
as  you  may  see,  the  unique  discovery  of  the  past 
five  years.  In  computing  and  making  it,  I  have 
used  some  discoveries  made  by  my  late  colleague, 
Professor  Mingern.  At  his  death,  six  years  ago, 
he  passed  his  work  on  to  me.  Now  that  my  death 
approaches,  I  pass  my  work  on  to  you.  I  have 
had  many  pupils  in  my  long  life,  but  none  so  wor 
thy,  none  so  able  to  carry  on  the  work,  as  you, 
my  dear  friend  and  pupil.  Farewell. 

"  CARL  DENCKEL." 

"  He  was  as  fine  an  old  chap  as  ever  I  knew," 
said  Tom,  with  deep  feeling.  "  To  think  of  his 
sending  that  to  me.  But  what  can  have  happened 
to  it  ?  " 

Dorothy  stood  with  a  second  sheet  in  her  hand. 
"  Here's  something  about  it,"  she  said.  "  Manu 
scripts  sent  under  cover  to  same  address,  appar 
atus  sent  to  New  York  via  Hamburg-American 
line." 

'  Then  the  first  thing  to  do  is  to  find  the  ap 
paratus,"  said  Tom.  "  We  can  send  a  trailer  after 
the  manuscript,  but  we  can't  bank  on  getting  it 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  73 

I'll  go  down  to  the  custom-house  to-morrow  morn 
ing.  What  a  blow  to  science,  if  the  whole  thing 
were  lost."  ''  But,"  he  went  on  suddenly,  "  isn't 
it  extraordinary  that  this  should  come  along  just 
now  ?  It  helps  us  a  whole  lot." 

"  That  is  so,"  remarked  Dorothy  reflectively. 
"  We  ought  to  be  able  to  tell  just  where  *  the  man  ' 
is  every  time." 

"  Once  more  I  humbly  confess  my  ignorance," 
I  remarked,  "  but  will  you  kindly  enlighten  me  as 
to  the  way  in  which  this  is  to  help  us  in  the  search 
for  the  man  ?  " 

"  Certainly,"  said  Dorothy  smiling.  "  We 
know  that  the  reflectoscopes  were  charged  by  a 
wave  which  '  the  man  '  sent  out  from  some  definite 
spot.  Theoretically,  that  place  might  be  anywhere 
in  the  world.  Practically,  it's  probably  somewhere 
not  many  miles  from  the  ship  he  is  destroying. 
But  it  is  somewhere.  His  waves  start  from  some 
definite  point.  There  is  some  single  point  of  gen 
eration.  Now,  with  this  machine,  I  ought  to  be 
able  to  find  out  just  where  the  place  is  from  which 
the  wave  starts,  and  not  only  within  a  hundred 
miles,  but  within  a  very  brief  space.  Say,  for  in 
stance,  we  had  the  machine  in  London,  I  could 
tell  that  '  the  man  '  started  his  waves  from  Sandy 
Hook,  and  not  from  Hell  Gate.  That  power  of 
fixing  the  exact  position  of  *  the  man  '  gives  us  a 
tremendous  step." 


74  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

"  Absolutely  tremendous,"  I  cried,  and  Tom 
chimed  in,  his  eyes  blazing  with  enthusiasm. 
"  Here's  to  the  successful  working  out  of  the  new 
clue." 

The  announcement  of  dinner  made  rather  an 
anti-climax  to  our  discovery. 

Tom  laughed  —  "  Well,  we've  got  to  eat,  any 
way.  Come  on." 

No  feast  could  equal  a  dinner  with  Dorothy  as 
hostess.  Never  did  her  sweet  face  look  more 
charming  than  when  she  presided  at  her  own 
board.  The  talk  soon  became  confined  to  tech 
nicalities,  as  Dorothy  and  Tom  discussed  the  pos 
sibilities  of  the  new  apparatus,  and  I  sat  watching 
Dorothy's  expressive  face,  as  she  talked  of  ve 
locities  and  lengths,  methods  of  generation  and  of 
control.  But  her  absorption  in  her  subject  lasted 
but  a  brief  time.  Dinner  over  she  turned  to  the 
piano.  Then  for  two  hours  her  music  wafted 
me  through  many  a  lofty  old  Iberian  turret. 

As  I  walked  to  my  rooms  from  the  Haldanes',  I 
revelled  in  every  breath  of  the  city  air.  The  very 
noises  of  the  street  exhilarated  me,  as  I  strolled 
along,  one  of  the  crowd,  and  a  free  man.  The 
unexpected  setback  of  my  arrest  now  safely  over, 
I  could  attack  the  new  clue  with  eagerness,  and 
the  early  morning  found  all  three  of  us  at  the 
Hamburg-American  pier.  No  trace  of  any 
such  invoice  as  Carl  Denckel  had  described  was 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  75 

to  be  found  in  any  of  the  office  records.  Book 
after  book  was  searched  for  some  account  of  the 
shipment,  but  in  vain.  As  a  last  resort,  we  went 
out  to  the  huge  warehouses  and  searched  them,  up 
and  down,  back  and  forth.  The  morning  passed 
in  unavailing  work.  We  swung  up  town  to  lunch, 
and  then  turned  again  to  our  task.  The  most 
unruly  of  warehouse  men  turned  into  an  obedient 
slave  at  Dorothy's  behest,  and  from  one  long  bare 
shed  to  another  we  passed,  escorted  by  a  retinue 
of  willing  workers.  We  paused  at  length  at  the 
end  of  the  pier,  where  the  big  doors  looked  out  on 
the  water,  glowing  beneath  the  sun.  The  burly 
Irishman  who  had  been  our  escort  from  the  first 
took  off  his  cap  and  wiped  his  wet  brow. 

"  I'm  feared  it's  no  use,  mum,"  he  said  apol 
ogetically.  "  Shure  and  I'd  go  on  fer  hours  huntin' 
fer  you,  if 'twas  anny  use,  but  it's  niver  a  bit.  We've 
been  iverywhere  that  a  machine  loike  thot  could 
be." 

With  regret  we  gave  up  our  futile  search  and 
retraced  our  steps  towards  the  waiting  car.  We 
had  seated  ourselves  and  were  watching  the 
chauffeur,  as  he  bent  to  crank  the  machine,  when 
we  heard  a  cry  behind  us.  We  turned  and  saw  our 
guide  running  at  full  speed,  his  arms  waving  wildly. 
As  he  came  near  he  shouted,  "  There's  just  wan 
chance.  I  remembered  meself  that  a  while  ago, 
there  was  a  lot  of  old  unclaimed  and  seized 


76  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

stuff  sint  to  the  appraiser's  stores  to  be  auctioned 
off.  They've  been  havin'  the  sale  the  day  and 
to-morrer  at  three.  You  might  find  it  there." 

"  We'll  try,"  said  Tom,  and  we  quickly  ran 
across  to  the  auction.  As  we  stepped  inside  the 
room,  we  saw  a  motley  assembly  before  us,  - 
junk  dealers,  Jew  peddlers,  old  clothes  men,  clerks, 
buyers  of  hardware  houses,  and  a  few  reporters. 
A  lot  of  fancy  door  bolts  were  being  sold,  and  com 
petition  was  running  high.  Foremost  among  the 
bidders  was  a  woman  who  was  evidently  an  old 
acquaintance  of  the  auctioneer's.  She  was  a  queer 
compromise  between  the  old  and  the  new.  On 
the  tight  brown  wig  of  the  conservative  old  Jewish 
matron  was  set  askew  a  gay  lacy  hat,  such  as 
adorns  the  head  of  an  East  Side  belle  on  a  Tam 
many  picnic.  Her  costume  was  in  harmony  with 
her  head  gear,  consisting  of  a  black  skirt,  and  a 
flaming  red  waist  trimmed  with  gorgeous  gold 
embroidery.  Her  keen  eyes  twinkled  at  the  bad 
inage  of  the  auctioneer,  and  her  face  showed  an 
acumen  hard  to  overcome.  One  by  one  the  bid 
ders  withdrew,  till  only  this  woman  and  another 
Jew,  an  old  man,  were  left.  The  price  was  mount 
ing  by  cents,  till  the  last  limit  of  the  woman's  purse 
seemed  reached,  and  she  stopped  bidding.  In 
vain  the  auctioneer  tried  to  rouse  her  to  another 
bid.  '  Twenty-six,  twenty-six.  Absolutely  thrown 
away  at  twenty-six.  Come,  Mrs.  Rosnosky,  give 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  77 

me  thirty.  You  can  sell  the  lot  for  fifty.  It's  the 
chance  of  your  life."  Mrs.  Rosnosky  was  not  to 
be  moved. 

Again  the  auctioneer  appealed  in  vain  and, 
glancing  around  him,  he  reached  down  beside 
him  and  brought  up  a  dusty  broken  mixture  of 
wires  and  metals,  of  cones  and  cylinders.  "  Here, 
Mrs.  Rosnosky !  Make  it  thirty,  and  I'll  throw 
this  in." 

As  the  eyes  of  my  companions  lighted  on  the 
mass,  they  started  forward.  Tom  opened  his 
mouth  to  bid,  but,  before  the  words  could  come 
from  his  lips,  Mrs.  Rosnosky  had  nodded  de 
cisively.  Her  competitor  behind  her  had  shaken 
his  head,  and  the  cry  of  "  Sold  to  Mrs.  Rosnosky 
at  thirty  "  came  through  the  air.  Tom  looked  at 
Dorothy  expressively,  and  she  nodded  back  and 
whispered.  "  It  looks  as  if  it  might  be  the  ma 
chine.  We'll  get  it  from  her." 

Clearly  Mrs.  Rosnosky  had  obtained  all  she 
desired.  Motioning  to  a  boy  in  the  rear,  she 
stepped  to  the  clerk's  desk,  paid  her  money,  and 
started  to  remove  her  goods  by  the  aid  of  her 
helper,  paying  no  attention  to  the  cries  and  move 
ment  about  her.  We  followed  the  machine  as  it 
left  the  building,  and  stood  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  street,  as  the  boy  and  the  woman  filled  an  old 
express  cart  with  their  purchases. 

Last  of  all  they  put  in  the  medley  of  apparatus 


78  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

on  its  wooden  stand.  As  they  placed  it  on  the 
wagon,  I  lounged  across  the  street.  "  Want  to 
sell  that  ?  "  I  asked,  pointing  to  the  apparatus. 

"  Not  for  anything  you  want  to  pay,  young 
man,"  came  back  the  answer,  to  my  surprise. 

"  I'll  give  you  five  dollars  for  it,"  I  said. 

Mrs.  Rosnosky  vouchsafed  no  reply  to  my  offer, 
and  mounted  the  seat. 

Tom,  who  had  heard  the  conversation,  came 
hurrying  across.  ;<  What  do  you  want  for  it  ?  " 
he  asked. 

"  Five  thousand  dollars,"  replied  Mrs.  Ros 
nosky,  clucking  to  her  horse.  Tom  seized  the 
bridle. 

"  Nonsense,  woman.  You  got  that  for  nothing, 
and  you  ask  five  thousand  dollars.  We're  willing 
to  give  you  a  fair  price,  but  that's  robbery." 

Mrs.  Rosnosky  looked  at  us  keenly.  "  If  you 
really  want  to  talk  business,"  she  said,  "  say  so. 
That's  worth  five  thousand  dollars."  She  seized  a 
cylinder,  with  a  sudden  gesture,  ripping  it  from  its 
place.  She  pointed  to  a  band  of  silvery  metal 
round  it.  '  That's  platinum,"  she  said.  '  There's 
five  thousand  dollars  in  that  stuff  for  me.  If  you 
want  it,  you  take  it  now  or  not  at  all.  I  know  what 
platinum  is  worth." 

Dorothy,  who  had  crossed  the  street  and  stood 
beside  us,  broke  in.  '  Take  it,  Tom,"  and  Tom 
obeyed,  with  a  nod. 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  79 

He  turned  to  the  woman.  "  I  haven't  five  thou 
sand  or  five  hundred  dollars  with  me,  but  if  you'll 
come  up  town,  I'll  get  five  thousand  for  you." 

Mrs.  Rosnosky  would  not  part  with  the  appar 
atus.  Tom  would  not  let  it  out  of  his  sight.  Either 
Tom  had  to  mount  the  express  wagon,  or  Mrs. 
Rosnosky  had  to  come  in  the  motor  car.  The 
latter  was  her  choice,  and  Mrs.  Rosnosky  had  the 
joy  of  sitting  enthroned  in  a  big  blue  motor,  while 
we  sped  up  town.  The  bank  had  long  since  been 
closed,  and  for  swiftness  and  surety  we  decided  to 
run  up  to  Tom's  club.  There  he  was  able  to  cash 
a  check.  Mrs.  Rosnosky  bore  the  gaze  of  the  few 
men  who  lingered  around  the  big  club  windows 
with  a  perfect  and  patronizing  equanimity,  and, 
her  money  in  hand,  finally  descended  from  the 
car  and  returned  to  her  East  Side  abode,  a  richer 
woman. 

Tom  heaved  a  sigh  of  relief  as  we  started  off 
again.  '  Thank  heaven  that  red  and  gold  night 
mare  with  the  wig  is  gone.  She  was  a  clever  one, 
though.  Who'd  have  thought  of  her  recognizing 
platinum  at  a  glance.  I  didn't,  I  confess,  under  all 
that  dust.  Poor  old  Denckel,  his  heart  would  break 
if  he  could  see  the  machine  now." 

"  Never  mind,  Tom,"  said  Dorothy,  as  he  gazed 
ruefully  at  the  wreck  before  him.  "  I  think  we 
can  get  that  together  again.  But  how  I  wish  we 
had  the  data  in  the  manuscript !  " 


CHAPTER   VII 

THE  wreck  of  the  wave-measuring  machine 
once  installed  in  the  laboratory,  every  energy  was 
bent  towards  putting  it  into  perfect  working  con 
dition.  A  maddening  task  it  was.  Thrown  hither 
and  thither  in  the  corners  of  warehouses,  the  miss 
ing  parts  and  waving  broken  wires  of  the  apparatus, 
as  it  first  stood  on  the  laboratory  table,  gave  but 
little  promise  of  final  renovation.  But  the  pos 
sibilities  which  it  held  entranced  both  Dorothy 
and  Tom.  Each  day  I  came  up  to  find  them  work 
ing.  Each  night  they  came  back  to  the  labo 
ratory  for  a  few  more  hours'  work.  The  minds  of 
all  of  us  were  turning  more  and  more  to  our  one 
fixed  purpose,  the  discovery  of  the  man  who  was 
trying  to  stop  all  war.  The  stir  and  tremor  of  the 
tumultuous  world  around,  eager  for  news  of  the 
dread  tragedies,  seemed  to  be  but  an  outside  in 
terest,  compared  with  the  tremendous  possibilities 
of  running  down  the  individual  at  the  bottom  of 
this  gigantic  undertaking. 

Gradually  the  chaos  began  to  take  on  form. 
Cylinders  of  shining  metal  rose  above  the  polish 
of  the  base.  Revolving  hemispheres  and  cones 

80 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  81 

resumed  their  original  forms  or  were  replaced  by 
reproductions.  Broken  wires,  replaced  by  new 
wire,  found  their  connections.  Jones  was  inde 
fatigable.  He  was  forever  polishing,  adjusting, 
scraping,  and  his  mild  blue  eyes  behind  his  big 
spectacles  glowed  with  enthusiasm,  as  he  sat  gaz 
ing  at  the  wave-measuring  machine  and  working 
on  one  of  its  parts. 

On  the  evening  of  the  fourth  day  I  came  up  to 
the  laboratory  about  ten  o'clock,  and  found  Tom 
making  some  last  adjustments,  while  Dorothy 
and  Jones  looked  on. 

"  We  think  we  have  it,"  said  Dorothy,  as  she 
greeted  me.  "  This  is  the  last  connection." 

"  Now  that  you  have  it  all  set  up,  tell  me  how  it 
works,"  I  said.  '  You've  been  so  tied  up  in  the 
thing,  that  I've  hardly  heard  a  word  from  you  in 
a  week." 

"  Too     bad,"     answered     Dorothy,    laughing. 
'  We'll   tell   you   enough   about   it  to  show  you 
what  to  expect." 

I  leaned  over  curiously  to  examine  the  wave- 
measuring  machine.  It  stood  on  a  round  table 
ten  or  twelve  feet  in  diameter  looking  not  unlike 
some  fortressed  town,  such  as  rises  on  the  banks 
of  many  a  river  in  southern  Europe.  A  belt  of 
broad,  shining  metal  a  foot  high  encircled  it  as 
the  gray  walls  of  stone  surround  the  town.  Within 
the  belt  stood  polished  cones  and  hemispheres, 


82  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

which  rose  for  a  height  of  some  two  feet,  bringing 
to  mind  round  towers  of  fortalice  and  dwelling 
within  battlemented  walls.  Wires,  ranged  with 
mathematical  preciseness,  completed  the  com 
parison  by  their  similarity  to  streets  surmounted 
by  telegraph  wires.  The  surrounding  belt  seemed 
solid,  but,  as  Jones  threw  the  reflector  of  a  power 
ful  incandescent  on  it,  I  could  see  it  was  lined  with 
millions  of  tiny  seams.  Tom  threw  a  switch  and, 
to  my  surprise,  the  belt  began  slowly  to  revolve 
about  the  central  portion. 

"  What's  that  belt  for  ?  "  I  asked. 
'  That's  where  the  wave  of  electrical  energy 
enters.  It  goes  into  the  interior  of  the  machine 
through  one  of  those  tiny  slits  which  you  see. 
Once  inside,  the  wave  strikes  a  magnetic  coil  about 
a  mirror,  which  swings  when  the  energy  acts  upon 
it,  and  throws  a  beam  of  light  down  that  scale." 
He  pointed  to  the  opposite  wall. 

There,  extending  from  one  side  to  the  other  of 
the  room,  some  fifty  feet  in  all,  stretched  a  scale 
like  a  foot  rule  suddenly  grown  gigantic.  Its  space 
was  covered  with  divisions,  a  big  zero  in  the  middle 
and  numbers  running  up  from  zero  into  the  hun 
dreds  of  thousands  and  millions  on  either  side. 
Just  at  the  zero  point  rested  a  long  narrow  beam 
of  light. 

"  You  see  that  beam,"  Tom  went  on.  "  When 
the  waves  come  into  the  machine,  they  go  through 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  83 

as  I  explained,  the  machine  stops,  and  the  light 
goes  up  or  down  the  scale.  The  distance  that  it 
goes  shows  how  far  away  the  wave  started.  The 
slit  through  which  the  wave  comes  shows  the  exact 
direction  from  which  it  comes,  and  we  can  get 
that  easily  because  the  machine  stops  as  the  wave 
goes  through.  Then,  by  means  of  a  certain  amount 
of  mathematics,  we  hope  to  be  able  to  find  just 
where  a  wave  comes  from.  We  can  adjust  the 
machine  so  that  it  will  register  anything  from  a 
wireless  telegraph  message  through  a  radium  dis 
charge  to  the  enormously  powerful  waves  which 
'  the  man  '  uses.  We  have  it  adjusted  now  for 
the  waves  which  '  the  man  '  uses  in  destroying 
battleships.  We  know  something  of  them  from 
the  way  in  which  they  charged  the  reflectoscopes. 
That's  the  whole  thing." 

"  One  thing  more,"  I  said  inquiringly.  "  If 
'  the  man  '  destroys  a  battleship,  does  the  ma 
chine  stop  and  the  beam  of  light  run  down  the 
scale." 

'  Yes,"  answered  Tom.  '  That's  just  what  it 
does." 

"  All  right,"  I  said. 

"  Now,  we'll  start  up,"  remarked  Tom.  '  Turn 
off  the  lights,  throw  off  the  inner  insulation,"  he 
commanded,  turning  to  Jones,  who  obediently 
threw  a  couple  of  switches. 

We  were  left  in  partial  darkness.     On  the  long 


84  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

scale,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  room,  the  single 
line  of  light  rested  at  the  centre,  illuminating 
the  zero.  There  was  a  shaded  incandescent  in 
one  corner,  which  threw  no  light  on  the  black  wall 
where  stood  the  scale,  but  gave  a  dim  radiance 
sufficient  to  reveal  the  belt  of  polished  metal  as  it 
swiftly  revolved  about  the  mass  within.  Dorothy 
sat  near  the  apparatus.  Jones  was  puttering  with 
something  at  one  end  of  the  scale,  and  Tom  and 
I  sat  side  by  side,  watching  the  whole  scale.  Sud 
denly  the  beam  swept  swiftly  far  up  the  scale, 
fluttered  for  a  moment  and  rested  on  a  point. 
The  moving  belt  stopped  with  a  slight  click. 

"  That's  it.  There's  another  battleship  gone," 
cried  Tom,  as  we  all  hurried  over  to  the  scale. 
"  Now  we  can  tell  just  where  he  is  doing  his  deadly 
work.  2,  340,  624.  1401  "  he  read,  scrutiniz 
ing  with  a  microscope  the  scale  at  the  point  where 
the  beam  rested.  "  Here,  Jones,  turn  on  the 
lights.  Bring  me  the  logarithm  tables,  our  table 
of  constants,  and  Denckel's  table  of  constants 
that  we  found  under  the  middle  cylinder." 

Jones  ran  excitedly  across  the  laboratory,  re 
turning  with  the  needed  things.  Tom,  Dorothy 
and  Jones  each  sat  down  to  figure  while  I  watched 
Dorothy's  nimble  fingers,  as  they  flew  over  the 
paper,  filling  sheet  after  sheet  with  computations. 
What  different  powers  lay  in  those  little  hands. 
Abstruse  calculations  vied  with  bread  making, 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  85 

careful  manipulations  of  delicate  instruments 
with  the  steering  wheel  of  her  motor  car.  Last 
week  we  had  eaten  a  dinner  prepared  wholly  by 
her.  This  week  she  was  working  out  one  of  the 
great  triumphs  of  modern  science.  It  seemed 
almost  a  shame  to  confine  those  talents  in  a  single 
home  —  but  yet  —  and  the  old  train  of  thought 
started  on  its  ever  recurring  cycle. 

Suddenly  Tom  threw  down  his  pen.  "  Beat 
you  that  time,  old  girl !  "  he  said.  Dorothy  gave 
no  heed,  but  figured  on  for  a  minute  more.  Then 
she,  too,  dropped  her  pen. 

"  Want  my  figures,  Tom  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Not  yet,"  answered  Tom.  "  Wait  for  Jones. 
I'll  go  and  get  the  maps,  and  we'll  work  the  second 
step  as  soon  as  we  have  checked  these  figures." 

Jones  worked  laboriously  on,  and  Tom  had 
gone  and  returned,  bearing  two  huge  portfolios, 
before  his  task  was  ended. 

"  Read  ofF,"  said  Tom,  and  a  whole  series  of 
numerals  came  from  Dorothy's  lips,  at  each  of 
which  Jones  nodded  his  head.  As  she  ended  she 
looked  inquiringly  at  Tom. 

"  Right,"  said  he.  "  Now  reverse  the  beam  to 
find  the  slit." 

Jones  brought  a  small  scale,  with  lights  mounted 
with  flexible  cords.  He  placed  it  across  the  beam, 
sighted  through  it  as  Tom  threw  off  the  lights, 
and,  after  a  brief  manipulation,  threw  a  switch. 


86  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

All  turned  to  gaze  at  the  belt.  Through  a  single 
slit  an  almost  geometric  line  of  light  shone  forth. 

"  Beautiful !  beautiful !  "  cried  Tom ;  and 
Dorothy  cried,  "  Oh,  Jim  !  oh,  Tom  !  we've  got 
it." 

My  name  came  first  to  her  hour  of  triumph. 
I  had  time  to  notice  that,  before  the  lights  went  on 
once  more.  Tom  took  a  dozen  hasty  readings, 
and  rapidly  read  them  off.  Another  period  of 
rapid  computation  followed,  then  one  by  one, 
Dorothy  leading,  they  made  a  swift  survey  of 
maps.  More  and  more  anxious  grew  the  trio  as 
they  went  on.  Map  followed  map,  till  Dorothy 
came  to  a  final  one,  made  her  last  measurement, 
and  sat  back  in  apparently  complete  bewilder 
ment.  Tom,  by  a  different  route,  reached  the 
same  map  and  drew  it  from  her,  shaking  his  head 
vehemently,  and  Jones,  laboring  heavily  along  in 
the  rear,  finally  stretched  his  hand  for  the  same 
sheet. 

''  What  have  you  got,  Jones  ? "  said  Tom 
sharply. 

"  Tokio,  Japan,"  said  Jones.  "  What  do  you 
get?" 

"  Tokio,  confound  it !  "  said  Tom. 

Dorothy  sat  back  in  her  chair  and  began  to  laugh 
at  his  disgusted  tone.  '  Tom,  you  get  excited 
too  easily.  How  do  you  know  that  he  may  not  be 
there !  M 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  87 

"  I  don't,"  growled  Tom.  "  But  I  don't  believe 
he's  gone  from  Brest  to  Tokio  in  ten  days,  es 
pecially  when  he  is  to  sink  a  German  warship 
next." 

"  But  there  may  be  a  German  warship  there," 
answered  Dorothy. 

"  There  isn't  a  first-class  German  battleship 
in  Asiatic  waters  to-day,"  I  broke  in.  "  I'm  fol 
lowing  every  one,  and  they've  all  been  called  in  to 
home  stations  within  a  month,  on  some  excuse  of 
trial  mobilization.  They've  all  passed  Suez." 

Tom  gave  a  long  whistle.  "  We  set  the  ma 
chine  for  those  terrific  waves  that  *  the  man  *  uses. 
Of  course  somebody  in  Tokio  might  have  them, 
but  it's  improbable.  Let's  start  her  up  again." 

Once  more  the  lights  were  lowered,  once  more 
the  belt  resumed  its  revolution,  as  we  watched. 
Scarcely  a  minute  passed,  and  the  machine  stopped 
as  before,  with  a  click.  The  beam  fluttered  for  a 
moment,  and  stopped  apparently  in  the  same 
place  where  it  started. 

"  Well,  I'll  be  hanged  !  "  said  Tom,  as  he  hur 
ried  over  to  examine  it.  "  .0001,"  he  read  off. 

"  Why,  that's  not  outside  New  York.  Don't 
figure  it,"  said  Dorothy.  "  Reverse  the  beam." 

No  sooner  said  than  done,  and  a  slit  on  the  left 
sprang  into  light.  Tom  stood  blankly,  his  hands 
deep  in  his  pockets,  as  he  gazed. 

"  Telephone  Carrener  in  the  Physical  Labora- 


88  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

tory  up  at  U.  C.  N.  Y."  said  Dorothy  excitedly. 
"  Ask  him  what  he's  doing  now." 

Tom  jumped  for  the  telephone,  and  a  rapid-fire 
volley  of  calls  and  questions  followed.  As  he  hung 
up  the  receiver,  he  turned  to  us  despairingly.  "  It 
was  Carrener.  He's  just  been  making  some  radio 
active  experiments.  The  blamed  machine  reg 
isters  every  strong  radio-active  wave  that's  sent 
out  anywhere  in  the  world." 

"  Then  all  you've  got  to  do  is  to  adjust  the  ap 
paratus  till  you  get  a  new  adjustment  which  will 
register  '  the  man's  '  wave,  isn't  it  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Yes,"  snapped  Tom,  "  and  it  took  Denckel 
three  years  to  get  that  adjustment,  and  there's  no 
data  on  how  he  did  it.  The  rest  was  easy  com 
pared  to  this.  If  we  only  had  that  lost  manuscript." 

Jones  sat  huddled  in  a  dejected  heap.  Dorothy's 
cheery  face  was  downcast.  "  I  must  confess,"  she 
sighed,  "  that  I'm  afraid  the  apparatus  isn't 
going  to  be  of  any  immediate  use  to  us  without 
the  manuscript." 

"  Any  immediate  use  !  "  sputtered  Tom.  "  The 
old  thing  isn't  worth  a  rap.  It'll  be  registering 
every  trolley  car  that  goes  by  next.  We've  done 
every  thing  we  know  how  to  fix  it,  and  it  may 
be  ten  years  before  we  find  out  what's  the  trouble. 
If  we  only  had  the  Denckel  manuscript." 

"  Yes,  if  we  only  had  Denckel's  work,"  said 
Dorothy  wearily.  "  But  we  haven't.  There's 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  89 

no    use    doing    anything    more    to-night.      We'll 
go  at  it  again  in  the  morning." 

The  next  two  days  brought  no  result.  The 
wave-measuring  machine  would  tell  where  the 
waves  came  from,  but  it  would  do  nothing  towards 
separating  them.  Day  after  day  the  reflecto- 
scopes  were  watched  for  the  expected  sinking  of 
the  German  ship,  but  without  avail.  Change 
after  change  was  made  in  the  Denckel  apparatus, 
in  the  hope  that  the  next  alteration  might  be  the 
right  one,  and  that  it  might  come  in  time  to 
place  the  man,  before  the  next  battleship  went 
down.  Saturday  afternoon,  the  last  day  of  the 
week  in  which  the  man  was  to  sink  the  German 
battleship,  we  sat  as  usual  in  the  laboratory.  The 
last  adjustment  had  been  as  unsuccessful  as  the 
rest,  and  Tom  and  Dorothy  sat  in  deep  thought, 
while  Jones  was  scraping  the  insulation  from  some 
wire  at  one  side. 

"  If  we  only  had  that  manuscript,"  said  Tom, 
for  the  thousandth  time,  "  but  failing  it,  let's 
have  another  try.  Jones,  will  you  bring  me  that 
manuscript  ?  I  mean  the  old  table  of  wave  con 
stants  we  made  up  last  winter." 

"  That's  it,"  remarked  Dorothy.  "  His  mind 
is  so  intent  on  the  manuscript  that  he  ordered  it 
instead  of  soup  the  other  day." 

To  that  maelstrom  of  papers,  his  desk,  Jones 
turned  to  find  the  needed  table  of  constants,  and, 


90  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

after  watching  his  efforts  for  a  few  minutes,  Tom 
turned  to  Dorothy. 

"  Find  it,  will  you,  Dorothy  ?  I  imagine  it's 
there." 

Dorothy  took  command,  as  Tom  and  I  sat  in 
silence.  Suddenly  Dorothy's  clear  voice  rang  out. 
"  Look,  look  !  "  and  she  came  rushing  across  the 
room  to  us,  holding  aloft  a  big  brown  paper 
package,  followed  by  Jones.  "  It's  here,  it's  here ! 
Mr.  Jones  had  it  in  his  desk,  and  forgot  to  give 
it  to  you." 

Tom  cast  one  look  of  scorn  on  the  apologetic 
Jones,  as  he  came  slowly  forward. 

'  You  immortal  id —  "  he  began,  but  Dorothy 
put  her  hand  over  his  mouth. 

"  Never  mind,  dear,  it's  here.  Don't  waste  time. 
Open  it,  and  see  what  it  says." 

Scarcely  five  minutes  passed,  when  Tom  cried, 
"  Here  it  is,"  and  read  rapidly  in  German  to  his 
assistants.  ''  We  can  have  it  in  shape  in  an  hour. 
There's  just  that  one  missing  part  that  threw  us 
completely  off,"  he  ended.  He  looked  at  his 
watch.  "  Five  o'clock  by  London  time,  and 
sometime  before  twelve,  if  the  man  does  as  he 
said  he  would,  the  German  battleship  will  be 
destroyed,  if  it's  not  gone  already.  We've  got 
to  hustle." 

They  had  worked  before  eagerly.  They  worked 
feverishly  now.  Even  my  unskilled  labor  was 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  91 

called  in,  and  I  held  and  scraped,  polished  and 
hammered  to  the  best  of  my  limited  ability.  Six 
o'clock,  seven,  eight,  nine,  one  by  one  they  passed. 
Tom's  hour  had  grown  to  four,  and  reached  al 
most  to  five,  ere  the  last  connection  was  made.  He 
stood  back  and  threw  the  switch  that  set  the  belt 
in  motion.  As  the  belt  revolved,  he  glanced  at  the 
reflectoscope  beside  him.  "  No  result  there  as 
yet,"  he  said  reflectively.  "  I  guess  we  are  safe." 
Ten  had  passed,  eleven  come  and  gone,  still  we 
waited.  Tom  had  set  his  laboratory  clock  to 
London  time,  and  as  the  first  stroke  of  twelve 
struck  he  rose,  stretching  his  arms.  "  First  time 
he's  mis —  "  As  he  spoke,  the  beam  flashed  from 
the  zero  well  down  the  board,  fluttered  as  before, 
and  stood  still  while  the  belt  stopped.  We  glanced 
at  the  reflectoscopes.  Their  golden  ribbons  had 
sprung  apart  and  stood  stiffly  separate.  Every 
thing  was  at  hand  this  time.  Not  a  word  was 
spoken,  but  the  three  bent  to  their  task,  figuring 
with  intense  rapidity.  Tom  and  Dorothy  finished 
together.  Jones,  just  behind,  ran  his  computing 
rule  faster  than  he  had  ever  done  anything  before 
in  my  presence.  As  they  ended,  Tom  spoke. 
"  The  harbor  —  " 

"  Of  Portsmouth,  England,"  finished  Dorothy, 
and  the  other  two  nodded  gravely.  I  sat  beside 
the  telephone.  We  had  made  sure  that  an  operator 
who  knew  that  a  call  was  coming  sat  at  the  branch 


92  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

exchange,  and  without  a  second's  delay  I  had  the 
office  and  had  told  the  news.  I  held  the  wire  till 
the  word  came  back.  "  O.  K.  Nobody  has  heard 
of  it  yet.  If  it  is  true,  it  is  another  big  beat." 

The  real  gravity  of  the  situation  did  not  come 
to  me  with  full  force,  until  I  read  the  accounts  in 
the  morning  papers.  The  first  news  that  appeared 
of  the  sinking  of  His  Germanic  Majesty's  first-class 
battleship,  Kaiser  Charlemagne,  had  come  from 
me.  The  moment  my  story  was  received  in  the 
office,  they  had  cabled  their  London  correspondent 
in  cipher.  As  soon  as  the  other  papers  saw  the 
story  in  our  special  edition,  they  had  likewise 
rushed  cables  and  wireless  messages  across.  In 
consequence,  a  horde  of  correspondents  had  de 
scended  on  Portsmouth  before  morning  dawned. 
The  night  before  there  had  lain  in  the  harbor 
three  German  battleships,  the  Kaiser  Charlemagne, 
the  flagship,  standing  farthest  out.  In  the  morning 
there  were  but  two.  At  first,  half  incredulous  but 
yet  fearful  from  the  past,  the  officers  of  the  German 
and  of  the  English  fleets  refused  to  believe  the 
story,  but  the  watch  on  three  ships  had  seen  the 
lights  of  the  German  flagship  disappear,  and  hasty 
search  had  proved  the  fact  of  her  disappearance. 
By  early  morning  they  were  forced  to  the  convic 
tion  that  the  Kaiser  Charlemagne  had  followed 
the  Alaska,  the  Dreadnought  Number  8  and  La 
Patrie  Number  3. 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  93 

The  cumulative  effect  of  this  last  blow  was 
tremendous.  Before  this  the  world  had  been 
hoping  against  hope,  but  now  sudden,  unreasoning 
panic  took  control.  Up  to  this  time  the  stock 
markets  of  the  world  had  been  buoyed  up  by  the 
support  of  the  great  capitalists,  and  by  the  aid  of 
the  governments.  But  they  had  been  growing 
steadily  weaker  and  weaker,  and  the  opening  of 
the  Exchange  in  London  and  of  the  Bourses  on 
the  continent  saw  stocks  tumbling  as  never  before. 
All  America  knew  of  the  ruin  abroad  when  our 
stock  markets  opened  here,  and  a  panic  day 
unparalleled  in  our  financial  history  began.  After 
a  sleepless  night  one  operator  remarked  to  another, 
as  they  walked  up  Wall  Street,  "  The  sinking  of 
battleships  is  bad  enough,  but  how  much  worse 
if  he  should  begin  to  sink  merchant  vessels." 
The  market  quivered.  The  next  man  passed  it  on. 
"  How  terrible  if '  the  man  '  should  sink  the  trans 
atlantic  liners  carrying  gold."  The  market 
trembled.  A  brokerage  house  gave  forth  the  tip. 
"  The  man  who  is  stopping  all  war  has  declared 
that  he  will  sink  every  transatlantic  liner  carrying 
gold,  as  he  considers  gold  the  sinews  of  war." 
The  market  shook  to  its  very  foundations.  The 
papers  heard  the  lying  news,  and  published  it  in 
scare  heads.  The  market  broke  utterly  and  went 
plunging  to  utter  destruction.  Industrials  and 
railroads  dropped  sixty  to  two  hundred  points  in 


94  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

an  hour.  It  was  one  wild  scramble,  which  ended 
only  when  no  one  would  buy  at  any  price  whatso 
ever.  The  day  ended  with  meetings  of  ruined  men 
sending  delegates  to  the  various  governments,  in 
a  first  general  appeal  for  disarmament. 

The  morning  of  the  second  day  after  the  sinking 
of  the  Kaiser  Charlemagne  showed  practically 
but  three  things  in  the  papers;  the  account  of  the 
panic  the  day  before;  futile  discussions  as  to  the 
identity  and  plans  of  the  man  who  was  trying  to 
stop  all  war;  and  stories  of  deputations  entreating 
the  governments  of  the  various  powers  to  disarm. 
Apparently  the  last  months  had  raised  the  numbers 
of  the  peace  advocates  by  millions.  The  papers 
which  had  given  a  few  columns  a  year  to  such 
propaganda  now  gave  pages  daily.  Other  factional 
differences  became  forgotten.  The  real  need  for 
protecting  the  lives  and  property  of  the  nation,  the 
fancied  need  of  protecting  commerce,  was  the 
theme  of  every  orator  at  every  meeting. 

In  one  place  only  were  these  deputations  re 
ceived  with  no  consideration.  The  German  Kaiser, 
the  War  Lord,  bearded  by  a  single  man,  stripped 
of  one  of  his  proudest  battleships,  received  all  words 
regarding  peace  with  utter  contumely.  All  papers 
agreed  in  considering  him  the  chief  stumbling 
block  in  the  way  of  a  universal  peace. 

I  was  running  over  the  morning  papers  when 
a  card  was  brought  to  me.  It  was  that  of  Ordway, 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  95 

my  old  Washington  friend,  who,  as  private  secre 
tary  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  gave  me  the  mes 
sage  ! 

"  Hullo,  Malachi,  you  old  prophet  of  evil ! " 
he  remarked,  with  a  cheerful  grin,  as  he  entered. 
"  Give  me  an  inside  tip  on  the  end  of  the  world, 
will  you  ?  I'll  use  it  to  bear  the  market." 

"  My  prophecy  shop  is  closed  to-day,"  I  replied, 
in  his  own  vein.  "  What  brings  you  from  Washing 
ton  ?  " 

"  I  came  wholly  to  see  you,"  he  said  seriously. 
"  The  President  made  me  a  special  agent  to  get 
a  line  on  what  you  were  doing.  The  report  that 
came  to  him  from  the  Attorney  General,  the  time 
they  put  you  in  jail,  whetted  his  curiosity,  so  he 
sent  me  up  here  to  see  things  for  myself.  Will  you 
let  me  see  Haldane's  machine  ?  " 

"  Gladly,"  I  answered,  and  we  started  for  the 
laboratory. 

"  Between  ourselves,"  remarked  Ordway,  as 
we  walked  from  the  car,  "  and  strictly  not  for 
publication,  there's  the  deuce  to  pay  with  the 
Kaiser.  He's  mad  as  hops  about  his  ship's  going 
down  in  Portsmouth  Harbor.  He  thinks  it's  an 
invidious  distinction  to  have  the  Kaiser  Charle 
magne  go  down  in  a  foreign  port,  when  the  other 
boats  have  gone  down  on  their  own  shores.  He'd 
declare  war  on  England  for  sixpence.  Things 
were  strained  enough  with  the  commercial  rivalry 


96  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

of  the  last  few  years,  but  they're  at  breaking  point 
now.  It  would  take  a  mighty  small  straw  to  break 
that  uneasy  camel's  back." 

Tom  and  Dorothy  were  both  in  the  laboratory, 
and  they  greeted  Ordway  cordially.  The  especial 
interest  centred  in  the  wave-measuring  apparatus. 
The  polished  belt  was  revolving  with  regular  pre 
cision,  and  the  beam  stood  fixed  at  zero. 

"  I  wish  you  could  have  been  here  and  seen  it 
work,  when  the  Kaiser  Charlemagne  went  down," 
said  Dorothy. 

"  I  wish  I  might,"  answered  Ordway. 

Scarcely  were  the  words  out  of  his  mouth,  when 
the  click  and  the  springing  beam  sent  my  heart 
into  my  mouth.  Dorothy  and  Tom  sprang  for 
paper  and  their  data.  Ordway  looked  on  in  amaze 
ment. 

"  What's  up,  Orrington  ?  "  he  asked.  "  What 
did  the  thing  stop  for  ?  " 

"  Another  ship  has  gone  down,"  I  answered ; 
"  but  of  what  nation  I  know  no  more  than  you." 

We  waited  silently  till  the  computation  was 
ended.  Dorothy  looked  up  with  knotted  brow. 
"  I  make  it  Portsmouth  again.  Do  you,  Tom  ?  " 

"  So  do  I,"  said  Tom.  "  There  must  be  some 
mistake.  Let's  go  over  the  figures  again." 

Again  they  obtained  the  same  result,  and  an 
hour  passed  before  they  gave  up  searching  for 
possible  errors. 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  97 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  about  it,  Orring- 
ton  ?  "  asked  Ordway  finally. 

"  I'm  not  going  to  do  anything.  It  must  be  a 
mistake." 

"  Why  not  telephone  your  office  and  see  if 
they've  heard  anything  ?  " 

"  I  did  so.  They  heard  nothing,  but  promised 
to  telephone  me  as  soon  as  they  did." 

We  had  sat  for  a  couple  of  hours  talking  when 
the  bell  rang,  and  I  answered.  It  was  the  office. 

'  You  slipped  up  this  time,  Orrington,"  said 
the  man  at  the  other  end.  "  A  German  battleship, 
the  Kaiserin  Luisa,  has  just  disappeared  off 
Portsmouth." 

I  passed  the  word  to  the  eager  trio. 

"  That  means  war  between  England  and 
Germany,"  cried  Ordway. 

"  I  believe  it  does,"  I  exclaimed,  "  and  I'm 
going  to  take  the  first  boat  for  London.  Here's 
just  the  chance  to  run  him  down.  He'll  be  sure 
to  stay  in  one  place  now.  His  work  will  be  in 
the  British  Channel." 

"  We'll  come  too,"  cried  Dorothy,  her  eyes 
lighting  at  the  prospect  of  the  chase.  "  We'll 
bring  along  the  wave-measuring  machine,  and  run 
him  down  at  close  quarters,  won't  we,  Tom  ?  " 

Tom  nodded  vigorously.  "  I'm  with  you. 
This  man  has  simply  obsessed  me.  I  can't  do 
any  decent  work  till  I've  found  him." 


CHAPTER  VIII 

A  FIERCE  and  sudden  gust,  which  swelled  to 
greater  fury  the  flood  of  a  howling  gale,  slammed 
the  smoking-room  door  in  my  face,  at  the  very 
moment  that  a  quivering,  throbbing  heave  from 
the  great  screw  shook  the  mighty  liner  from  stem 
to  stern.  Beaten  back  from  the  wall,  as  the  ship 
rolled  heavily,  I  pitched  headlong,  and  went 
sliding  and  tumbling  across  the  deck,  clutching 
wildly  at  its  edge  for  the  netting  of  the  rail.  There, 
huddled  against  the  side,  I  gasped  until  breath 
came,  and  then  painfully  traversed  the  wet  and 
slippery  deck  on  hands  and  knees.  With  a  sudden 
effort  I  caught  at  the  big  brass  handle,  turned  it 
and  sprang  within,  accompanied  by  a  drenching 
spray. 

No  contrast  could  have  been  greater  than  the 
sudden  change  from  the  wild  drift  of  bitter  wind 
and  rain  without  to  the  bright  warmth  and  quiet 
comfort  of  the  smoking-room  within.  The  habit 
ues  who  commonly  filled  the  alcoves  and  the 
centre  were  mainly  absent,  chained  to  their 
berths,  for  the  gale  which  had  lasted  a  full  two 
days  had  swept  from  the  room  all  but  two  quar- 

08 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  99 

tettes  of  bridge  players,  a  placid  Britisher  in  full 
dress  in  the  centre,  who  was  solacing  himself 
with  his  invariable  evening's  occupation  of  Scotch 
and  soda,  and  Tom,  alone,  in  a  corner  alcove, 
his  back  against  the  wall,  his  feet  sprawling  along 
the  cushions,  and  his  pipe  firmly  clenched  between 
his  teeth.  As  I  pushed  my  way  by  the  square 
centre  table  of  the  alcove  and  sank  down  on  the 
opposite  cushions,  he  looked  up,  a  thoughtful 
frown  wrinkling  his  forehead. 

"  I've  been  thinking  about  our  next  move," 
he  began,  only  to  break  off  abruptly.  ''  What  on 
earth  is  the  matter  with  you  ?  You  look  as  if  you 
had  been  shipwrecked." 

'  This  is  merely  the  result,"  I  answered,  "  of  a 
perilous  trip  outside  the  smoking-room  door  for 
the  purpose  of  taking  a  weather  observation.  As 
a  matter  of  fact,  you're  responsible  for  it;  I  was 
driven  to  the  act  by  your  loquacity.  We  came 
up  here  at  half  past  seven  and  you  have  spoken 
exactly  three  times  since,  each  time  to  give  an 
order.  I  really  had  to  do  something  desperate 
to  attract  your  attention." 

"  You  did  it,"  said  Tom  decisively.  "  Hurt 
in  any  way  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no,"  I  answered.  "  Slight  bruises,  really 
nothing  of  any  consequence  at  all." 

Turned  by  the  incident  from  his  preoccupation, 
Tom  rose,  stretched  himself  thoroughly,  and  bent 


100  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

to  peer  out  of  the  rain-swept  porthole.  "  This 
certainly  is  a  nasty  night,"  he  said,  as  he  resumed 
his  original  position.  "  She  is  rolling  and  pitching 
at  a  great  rate.  If  it  does  not  quit  soon,  this  gale 
will  send  many  a  good  ship  to  the  bottom.  We're 
safe  enough  here,  but  this  weather  must  be  pretty 
hard  on  the  small  boats." 

As  Tom  refilled  his  pipe,  I  sat  musing  on  the 
images  his  words  had  roused  of  the  strange  and 
sudden  plunge  of  a  mighty  ship  down,  down 
to  the  very  depths  of  the  sea,  of  that  wonderful 
world  that  lies  below  the  waves,  upon  whose 
sandy  floor  lie  many  navies  whose  gallant  ships 
rest  in  their  last  anchorage,  whose  thousands  of 
rugged  sailors  are  buried  in  their  last  sleep,  whose 
burdened,  hoarded  wealth  is  kept  forever  idle  by 
that  great  miser,  the  deep.  As  I  mused,  I  spoke 
unconsciously.  "  I  wonder  how  this  storm  would 
seem  on  the  bottom  of  the  sea." 

"  Quiet  enough  there,  I  presume,"  answered 
Tom,  following,  to  my  surprise,  my  spoken 
thought.  *  You  know  men  who  sought  for  sunken 
treasure  ships  have  found  things  quite  unmoved, 
after  centuries  have  rolled  away.  Save  for  the 
covering  of  sand  or  silt,  the  boat  which  reaches 
the  bottom  may  leave  its  bones  for  centuries  un 
changed." 

My  mind  travelled  a  step  farther,  from  normal 
shipwrecks  to  abnormal  ones,  and  then  turned 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  101 

swiftly  to  those  catastrophes  which  were  never  far 
from  my  mind,  the  beginning  and  in  one  sense 
the  end  of  our  mission,  the  battleships  which  dis 
appeared.  "  If  Dorothy's  belief  is  correct,  and 
the  engines  of  destruction  used  by  '  the  man  ' 
affect  metal  only,  then  I  suppose  the  crews  of  the 
Alaska  and  the  rest  went  to  the  bottom." 

"  Undoubtedly,"  answered  Tom  laconically. 

One  by  one,  as  in  a  naval  review,  the  Alaska, 
the  Dreadnought  Number  8,  La  Patrie  Number  3, 
the  Kaiserin  Luisa  and  the  Kaiser  Charlemagne 
imaged  themselves  upon  the  tablets  of  my  brain, 
and  with  the  last  appeared  a  film  of  Portsmouth 
Harbor  where  the  great  engine  of  war  anchored 
for  the  last  time.  I  straightened  up  suddenly  and 
leaned  across  to  Tom,  who  now  sat  gazing  peace 
fully  at  space. 

"  Tom,"  I  exclaimed  quietly,  but  earnestly,  "  I 
can  tell  you  the  next  move.  We'll  send  down 
to  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  and  find  out  what  record 
remains  there  of  the  work  done  by  '  the  man.* ' 

Quick  as  a  flash  Tom  was  all  attention.  "  By 
George,"  he  ejaculated,  lowering  his  voice  an 
instant  later,  as  he  saw  that  his  exclamation  had 
startled  the  bridge  players  opposite.  "  I  believe 
that  is  the  scheme.  It  ought  not  to  take  us  very 
long,  and  we  might  get  a  bully  clue  from  it.  How 
shall  we  go  about  it  ?  " 

Swiftly  I  unfolded  my  plan,  the  ideas  rushing 


102  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

in  upon  me  as  I  proceeded.  "  We  land  at  South 
ampton,  anyway,  and  it's  only  an  hour's  run 
down  Southampton  Water  to  Portsmouth.  We 
won't  go  up  to  London  at  all;  we'll  go  straight 
to  Portsmouth  and  put  up  there.  Then  we'll 
find  out  just  where  the  Kaiser  Charlemagne  or  the 
Kaiserin  Luisa  stood,  and  get  some  divers  to  go 
down  and  report."  , 

*  That's  a  great  idea,"  said  Tom  reflectively. 
"  It  resolves  itself  really  into  two  parts,  —  finding 
out  just  exactly  where  one  of  the  German  ships 
stood,  and  getting  down  to  the  bottom  there.  It 
ought  not  to  be  so  very  difficult.  I  wonder  nobody 
has  thought  of  it.  But  if  they  had,  I  imagine,  we 
should  have  heard  of  it,  because  the  wireless  news 
paper  on  board  is  giving  news  of  that  kind  pretty 
well  in  full.  I'll  tell  you  one  thing  though,"  he 
went  on,  "  I  wish  Dorothy  could  have  been  with 
us  instead  of  having  to  wait  over  a  couple  of 
boats  to  straighten  out  that  Boy's  Club  business 
of  hers.  I'd  like  mighty  well  to  get  her  opinion." 

"  Same  here,"  I  remarked  forcefully. 

Two  days  later  saw  us  safely  through  the  Eng 
lish  Customs  and  rolling  along  over  the  little  line 
which  runs  past  old  Clausentrum,  relic  of  the 
days  when  Rome  with  bloody  hand  made  peace  in 
Britain,  to  Portsmouth  and  its  harbor,  with  the 
Isle  of  Wight  forming  the  foreground  to  the  broad 
blue  reaches  of  the  Channel. 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  103 

No  greater  hum  of  business  could  have  been 
found  all  Britain  over  than  in  this  seaport  town. 
Jackies  hurried  to  and  fro  with  orders.  Marines 
marched  in  companies  to  the  wharves.  Officers 
in  service  dress  scurried  by  in  motor  cars.  Tom 
mies  for  once  moved  swiftly,  without  even  a  side 
long  glance  at  the  red-cheeked  nurses  in  the  Park. 
Everything  gave  the  impression  of  activity,  of 
preparation  pushed  to  the  last  degree  of  haste. 
Whatever  the  prospects  of  war  might  be,  Ports 
mouth  was  as  busy  as  if  war  were  on. 

Though  we  reached  Portsmouth  at  noon,  it  was 
more  than  two  o'clock  before  we  could  secure 
rooms.  Every  hotel  was  crowded.  Scarcely 
could  we  get  a  word  from  the  busy  clerks,  and  at 
last  we  were  driven  to  lodgings.  Throwing  our 
selves  on  the  mercy  of  a  cabman  we  wandered 
up  and  down,  thoroughly  thankful  when  we 
obtained  some  clean,  decent  rooms  in  a  little  house 
in  the  Portsea  region. 

Somewhat  to  our  surprise,  our  quest  proved 
difficult.  We  drove  to  the  dockyard.  "  No 
admittance  without  special  orders  from  the  ad 
miralty,"  stared  us  in  the  face,  —  an  order  made 
yet  more  effective  by  the  gruff  silence  of  the 
sentinels.  We  tried  the  harbor  authorities  and 
the  Town  Hall.  Both  had  been  turned  into  gov 
ernmental  bureaus,  and  both  refused  admittance 
on  any  terms.  Vainly  I  pleaded  my  connection 


104  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

with  the  press.  That  move  only  increased  the 
suspicious  reserve  which  surrounded  us.  Vainly 
we  tried  the  soothing  effect  of  the  golden  sovereign. 
We  were  rebuffed  at  every  turn,  till  forced  to 
temporary  inaction,  we  gloomily  turned  back 
towards  our  lodgings. 

'  There's  nothing  doing  so  far  as  the  authorities 
are  concerned,"  remarked  Tom,  as  we  walked 
along.  '  We've  got  to  try  some  other  tack.  If 
we  could  only  find  somebody  here  in  town  who 
wasn't  an  official,  and  yet  who  would  know  where 
either  of  those  ships  stood.  None  of  the  dealers  in 
ships'  stores  would  know,  because  the  German 
boats  would  have  received  their  stores  at  the  wharf. 
By  Jove,  though,  here's  an  idea."  He  brightened 
up.  "  If,  by  any  lucky  chance,  they  took  on  fuel 
here,  we  might  get  some  light  on  the  place  from 
the  coal  man.  Here's  a  chemist's  shop,  let's  look 
up  a  directory." 

We  entered,  and  ran  rapidly  over  the  names 
of  dealers  in  the  business  directory  that  was  handed 
us.  Dealer  after  dealer,  whose  name  appeared 
therein,  sold  goods  that  belong  with  the  sea.  Ship 
chandlery,  plumbing  for  yachts  and  vessels, 
calkers,  sailmakers.  Ah,  here  it  was !  Fuel  sup 
plied  to  vessels.  There  were  some  fifteen  names 
on  the  list.  I  copied  them  off,  and  turned  to  the 
young  man  behind  the  counter.  :<  Which  of  this 
list,"  I  asked,  "  would  be  entirely  capable  of 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  105 

coaling  a  large  merchantman  immediately  ?  "  The 
clerk  ran  his  eye  down  the  list.  "  This,  and  this, 
and  this  firm,"  he  answered  briefly,  pointing  at 
three. 

The  office  before  which  we  finally  stopped 
looked  peculiarly  businesslike  as  we  reconnoitred 
through  its  broad  window.  "  Looks  just  like 
home,"  murmured  Tom,  as  we  gazed  at  the  smart 
yoang  man  in  dapper  tweeds  dictating  to  a  stenog 
rapher  whose  pompadour,  though  like  a  single 
tree  in  a  forest  had  it  been  on  lower  Broadway, 
yet  seemed  a  rare  exotic  in  this  English  seaport 
town.  The  Remington  machine  at  one  side,  the 
brightness  of  the  office  furniture,  the  whole  atmos 
phere,  in  short,  was  a  stage  picture,  a  sudden 
revival  of  the  world  we  had  left  less  than  a  week 
ago. 

"  He  is,"  exclaimed  Tom,  without  the  slightest 
apparent  connection.  "  See  that  life  insurance 
calendar  on  the  wall !  " 

A  flaming,  big-lettered,  American  calendar 
appeared  at  the  end  of  his  pointing  finger. 

"  May  as  well  play  it  boldly,  anyway,"  mur 
mured  Tom,  pushing  open  the  door.  "  Pardon 
me,"  he  said,  as  he  entered.  "  We're  Americans, 
and  want  to  know  something  about  coal." 

Our  dapper  friend  from  behind  the  desk  was 
on  his  feet  in  a  moment,  stepping  towards  me 
with  outstretched  hand.  "  Mr.  Orrington,  I'm 


106  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

proud  to  see  you  here."  I  looked  at  him  in  com 
plete  surprise,  while  Tom  looked  on  in  equal 
amaze.  The  stenographer  sitting  behind  her  keys 
raised  one  hand  to  pat  her  hair,  and  stared  in 
undisguised  and  interested  wonder. 

"  I'm  afraid  you  have  the  advantage  of  me,"  I 
remarked. 

"  That's  not  surprising,"  answered  the  young 
man  with  a  smile.  "  You  never  saw  me  before, 
but  look  here." 

I  followed  blindly  around  his  desk,  and  waited 
while  he  pulled  open  a  drawer  at  the  side.  "  Ex 
hibit  Number  one,"  he  remarked  as  he  took  out 
an  American  illustrated  weekly  bearing  an  imprint 
of  my  features.  It  had  appeared  just  after  my 
second  signed  story  came  out. 

"  Oh,"  I  remarked  briefly  and  lucidly. 

"  Exhibit  Number  two,"  our  friend  went  on, 
bringing  to  my  astonished  gaze  a  file  of  my  own 
paper,  whereupon  my  own  stories  showed  their 
large  familiar  headlines  at  the  top. 

"  That's  what  it  is  to  be  famous,"  said  a  laugh 
ing  voice  over  my  shoulder.  "  Now,  I  could  travel 
the  world  over  and  never  find  anybody  to  recognize 
me." 

'  Then  it's  up  to  me  to  bring  you  into  the  lime 
light,"  I  said,  recovering.  "  This  is  Prof.  Haldane, 
Mr.  —  ?  " 

"  Thompson,    at   your    service,"    supplied    the 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  107 

manager.  "  From  New  York,  sent  over  here  to 
take  charge  of  this  end  two  years  ago,  likewise 
a  sincere  admirer  of  your  work.  Now,  what  can 
I  do  for  you  ?  " 

I  glanced  at  the  stenographer  meaningly. 

"  Say  anything  you  please;  it  will  go  no  farther, 
gentlemen.  Let  me  introduce  Mrs.  Thompson." 

We  rose  and  bowed. 

"  We  were  both  in  the  same  office  there,"  ex 
plained  the  manager,  "  and  when  they  gave  me 
this  berth  we  decided  to  come  together." 

"  I  am  over  here  on  business,"  I  began. 

"  Still  after  the  man  who  is  trying  to  stop  all 
war  ?  "  interrupted  Thompson. 

"  Yes,"  I  answered.  "  What  we  want  now  is 
to  find  out  just  where  the  Kaiser  Charlemagne 
or  the  Kaiserin  Luisa  went  down.  If  we  can 
find  that,  we  shall  get  divers  and  go  down  to  the 
bottom.  As  we  could  get  no  news  at  any  of  the 
government  offices,  we  thought  we  would  try 
to  find  some  dealer  here  who  might  have  supplied 
either  of  the  boats  with  coal." 

"  Hit  it  first  time  trying,"  said  Thompson,  with 
a  smile.  "  The  Kaiser  Charlemagne  took  on  no 
liquid  here,  but  the  Kaiserin  Luisa  took  a  thousand 
barrels  the  day  before  she  sunk."  Tom  let  out  a 
long  whistle.  "  That's  one  reason  why  the 
Kaiserin  Luisa,  the  Alaska,  and  the  rest  went  down 
without  a  sound.  Extraordinary  that  I  never 


108  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

thought  of  that  before.  They  all  burn  hydro 
carbons  instead  of  coal,  and  the  new  hydrocarbon 
fuels  would  disappear  in  the  water. 

"  Not  a  modern  warship  left  to-day  which 
doesn't  burn  liquid  fuel,  and  most  of  it's  ours," 
said  Thompson  enthusiastically.  "  They  had 
to  come  to  it,  especially  when  we  put  out  our 
new  boiler  attachment  by  which  they  could 
change  their  furnaces  over  to  use  liquids  without 
changing  any  other  part  of  the  machinery." 

Tom  nodded  appreciatively.  "  I  see,"  he  said. 
"  Now  as  to  the  main  question.  How  can  we  find 
out  just  where  the  Kaiserin  Luisa  went  down  ?  " 

Thompson  turned  to  his  wife.  "  Lulu,  will  you 
telephone  down  and  see  if  Cap'n  McPherson  is  at 
the  wharf.  If  he  is,  have  them  send  him  here  at 
once." 

A  moment's  low  conversation  in  the  telephone 
booth,  and  Mrs.  Thompson  returned.  "  He'll 
come  right  up,"  she  said,  and,  turning  to  her 
machine,  was  soon  pounding  away  at  the  keys 
with  a  practised  hand. 

"  Remarkable  woman,  my  wife,"  said  Thomp 
son,  swelling  with  intense  pride  behind  the  shelter 
of  his  rolltop  desk.  "  Took  a  medal  for  speed  in 
an  open  competition.  Smart  as  they  make  'em 
in  any  deal.  Never  lets  family  relationships 
stand  in  the  way  of  business.  B.  F.  T.  S.  I  call 
her,  *  business  from  the  start/  '  He  would  have 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  109 

gone  on,  but  the  door  opened,  and  a  huge  grizzled 
sailor  with  an  officer's  cap  in  his  hand  lumped  in. 
His  massive  bulk  loomed  above  us  for  a  moment,  as 
Thompson  motioned  him  to  a  chair. 

"  You  put  the  liquid  on  board  the  Kaiserin 
Luisa  the  day  before  she  disappeared,  didn't  you  ? " 
asked  Thompson. 

"  Aye,  sir,"  came  the  deep  answer  from  the 
depths  of  the  Captain's  chest. 

"  Can  you  tell  us  just  where  she  lay  ?  "  the 
manager  went  on. 

Captain  McPherson  stirred  uneasily  as  he 
looked  at  us.  "  I've  heer'd  said  we  were  to  say 
naught  of  that  unfort'nit  ship,"  he  rumbled, 
turning  half  round  to  regard  us  with  a  fixed  stare. 

'  That's  all  right,  Cap'n,"  said  Thompson. 
"  These  gentlemen  have  been  sent  here  to  investi 
gate  the  matter,  and  you  are  to  tell  them  all  you 
know." 

The  Captain  evidently  felt  misgivings,  but  the 
habit  of  obeying  the  orders  of  his  superiors  was  not 
lightly  to  be  broken.  "  If  ye  go  straight  out  from 
the  carstle  till  the  Ry'al  Jarge  buoy's  in  line  with 
three  chimneys  t'gether  on  the  shore,  ye'll  have 
the  spot  where  she  lay  when  we  were  'longside." 

'  Thank  you,  Cap'n,  that's  all,"  said  Thompson. 

Whereupon  Captain  McPherson  rose  and  lum 
bered  off  as  heavily  as  he  had  come. 

"  I've  seen  the  castle,"  I  remarked,  "  but  how 


110  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

on  earth  c~n  I  find  the  Royal  George  buoy,  and 
what  is  it  ?  " 

"  Queer  thing  that,"  said  Thompson.  "  That's 
where  the  Royal  George  went  down,  with  all  on 
board,  a  hundred  and  thirty  years  or  so  ago. 
Now  the  Kaiserin  Luisa  disappears,  in  the  same 
place.  It's  a  red  buoy  right  off  Smithsea,  you 
can't  miss  it." 

"  Right,"  said  Tom.  "  So  far  so  good.  Now, 
you  haven't  a  couple  of  divers  in  your  desk  drawer, 
have  you  ?  " 

Thompson  laughed.  "  Sure  thing,"  he  said. 
"  At  least  I  can  send  you  to  one,  Joe  Miggs,  who 
has  done  more  or  less  work  for  us.  There's  the 
address,"  he  said,  writing  it  on  a  card.  "  Come 
and  see  us  before  you  go." 

Exultantly  we  left  the  office,  looking  back 
through  the  window  to  see  our  compatriot  waving 
farewell,  while  his  wife,  patting  her  pompadour 
with  one  hand,  fluttered  her  handkerchief  with  the 
other.  By  dock  and  arsenal,  through  sounds  of 
clanging  furnaces  and  roar  of  forges,  we  passed 
to  the  street  we  sought  and  to  the  house,  a  house 
of  mark  which  bore  proudly  upon  its  front  a 
life-size  picture  of  a  diver  completely  apparisoned, 
with  the  words  "  J.  Miggs,  Diver,"  in  very  small 
letters  below.  The  low,  dark  door  gave  entrance 
to  a  small  shop,  where  a  man,  whistling  cheerfully, 
was  using  a  small  soldering  tool  on  a  diver's  helmet, 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  111 

assisted  by  a  boy  clad  in  a  ticking  apron.  The 
man  was  J.  Miggs.  Our  friend  Thompson's  card 
brought  a  sudden  stop  to  the  cheerful  whistle,  and 
it  was  with  a  somewhat  troubled  face  that  J. 
Miggs  rose,  sending  his  young  assistant  from  the 
room.  The  boy  out,  he  locked  both  doors  to  the 
shop  carefully,  and  returned  to  us. 

"  Mr.  Thompson  says  that  you  want  a  diver,'* 
said  Miggs,  in  a  low  voice.  "  I'd  do  anything  I 
could  for  Mr.  Thompson.  Many's  the  good  job 
he's  got  for  me,  but  I  can't,  I  absolutely  can't. 
We've  been  forbidden  to  take  any  jobs  at  all. 
Notice  was  served  on  every  diver  in  town,  and 
me  and  my  partner  can't  risk  it." 

"  What's  your  regular  rate  for  going  down  here 
in  the  harbor  ?  "  asked  Tom. 

"  Two  pounds  a  day,  sir,  for  each  of  us.  Four 
pounds  for  the  two,  if  me  and  my  partner  work 
together." 

"  I'll  give  you  ten  pounds  apiece  for  one  night's 
work,"  said  Tom. 

The  man  wavered.  "  I've  no  money  for  a  fort 
night,  sir,  and  I'd  like  to  do  it,  but  I  dare  not;  the 
officers  would  put  me  out  of  business,  and  I've 
got  to  support  my  family." 

Tom  persisted.  "  I'll  give  you  ten  pounds  for 
your  family,  and  ten  pounds  more  when  you  go 
down." 

J.    Miggs    took    thought,    hesitated,    wavered, 


112  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

and  at  length  capitulated.  "  I'll  do  it,  sir,"  he 
said,  "  if  you'll  do  one  thing.  If  they  take  my 
diving  rig  away,  will  you  agree  to  pay  for  a  new 
one  ?  " 

"  I  will,"  said  Tom,  "  and  I'll  leave  the  price 
of  it  with  Mr.  Thompson  to-night." 

His  last  scruples  vanished,  and  J.  Miggs  was 
ours.  "  We've  got  two  suits  over  at  Brading  Har 
bor,  on  the  Isle  of  Wight,  where  we  were  working. 
If  you'll  tell  me  your  place,  we'll  meet  you  to 
night  where  you're  staying,  take  you  across  in 
the  motor  boat,  get  the  suits,  and  get  back  in  time 
to  have  five  or  six  hours  to  work,  wherever  you  say. 
But  it  must  be  to-night.  To-night's  the  last  night 
without  a  moon." 

Leaving  J.  Miggs  our  address,  we  went  back 
to  our  lodgings,  by  way  of  Southsea  Castle  and 
the  piers,  to  take  a  preliminary  observation  of  the 
buoy  of  the  "  R'yal  Jarge."  We  had  swallowed 
a  hasty  supper,  laid  in  a  good  store  of  clothing 
for  the  chill  of  night  on  the  water,  and  were  waiting 
patiently  for  the  call,  when  there  was  a  knock  at 
the  door.  As  it  opened,  there  entered  not  J. 
Miggs,  but  his  small  boy  helper,  whom  we  had 
seen  earlier. 

"  Miggs's  been  jugged,"  he  cried  breathlessly. 
"  He  and  Joe  Hines.  The  bobbies  come  and  took 
'em  an  hour  ago.  He  told  me,  when  he  saw  'em 
comin',  to  run  and  tell  you." 


CHAPTER    IX 

THE  engines  of  the  motor  boat  slowed,  gave 
a  final  chug,  and  stopped.  "  Brading  Harbor," 
remarked  our  boy  guide  laconically,  as  he  threw 
the  anchor,  and  stepped  to  the  stern  to  pull  in 
the  skiff  that  trailed  after  us.  Before  us  lay  the 
estuary  of  the  Yar,  its  black  water  scarcely 
differentiated  in  color  from  the  dark  shores  that 
rose  above  it.  A  huddle  of  buildings  lifting  on  our 
left  changed  from  blots  of  blackness  into  shadowy 
outlines,  sprinkled  here  and  there  with  light, 
as  we  rowed  in.  The  lad  pulled  steadily,  with  but 
an  occasional  glance  at  the  shore.  The  steady 
strokes  of  the  oar  slowed  down,  the  blackness 
ahead  seemed  to  rush  towards  us  more  swiftly, 
and  the  boat  ran  silently  up  on  to  the  sand.  I 
jumped  out,  the  little  anchor  in  my  hand.  We 
were  at  Brading  Harbor. 

Without  a  word,  the  boy  pulled  up  the  boat, 
dug  the  flukes  of  the  anchor  deep  into  the  sand, 
and  started  off  into  the  darkness. 

"  Come  on,  Tom,"  I    said   laughing.       '  This 
is  an  Arabian  Night  Expedition  headed  by  one  of 
the  mutes  of  Haroun  Al  Raschid.     Hustle  up,  or 
113 


114  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

we'll  be  left  behind."  About  three  hundred  yards 
from  our  landing-place  our  guide  suddenly  dis 
appeared;  we  came  abruptly  on  the  corner  of  a 
small  brick  building,  and  rounded  it  to  find  him 
working  on  the  padlock  of  a  broad,  low  door. 

"  Bee's  here,"  remarked  the  boy,  flinging  the 
door  open  as  we  came  up. 

We  stepped  just  inside  and  paused.  The 
scratch  of  a  fusee,  the  clatter  of  a  lifted  lantern, 
and  the  low  room  sprung  into  light. 

A  weird  sight  met  our  eyes.  On  a  shelf  three 
great  diving  helmets,  with  shining  cyclopean  eyes 
of  heavy  glass,  reflected  back  the  lantern's  flame, 
and  showed  barred  side  windows  looking  like 
caged  ear-muffs.  On  the  shelf  below  three  pair 
of  huge  shoes,  with  leaden  soles,  seemed  ready 
for  some  giant's  foot,  rather  than  for  the  use  of 
man.  As  the  light  shifted,  the  armor  on  the  wall 
came  into  view;  copper  breastplate  and  twilled 
overalls,  hosepipe  and  coils  of  safety  line;  a 
veritable  museum  of  diving  paraphernalia. 

Tom  turned  to  the  boy.  '  You'll  have  to  show 
us  very  carefully  how  to  run  the  safety  line  and 
the  air  pump,  while  you're  down." 

"  I  don't  go  down,"  said  the  boy.  "  Heart's 
wike  loike.  Niver  go  down." 

Tom  and  I  stared  at  each  other  in  consternation. 
With  one  accord  we  turned  to  the  boy  again. 

"  Who  is  going  down  ?  "  I  cried. 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  115 

"  Ayther  of  you  thot  loikes,"  responded  the 
boy  calmly. 

"  I'll  be  the  one  to  go,  Tom,"  I  cried,  "  I've 
got  to  see  it  with  my  own  eyes  to  write  it  up 
properly." 

"  Why  can't  we  both  go  ?  "  exclaimed  Tom 
eagerly.  "  I  don't  want  to  be  out  of  this." 

The  boy  broke  in.  "  Needs  two  men  oop  on 
rope  and  poomp." 

"  Oh  pshaw !  "  said  Tom  disgustedly,  "  I  don't 
see  why  I  shouldn't  be  in  this.  I  tell  you  what 
we'll  do,"  he  went  on,  his  face  brightening,  "  you 
go  down  first,  and  then  come  up,  and  I'll  go  down 
after  you." 

"  All  right,"  I  said.    "  It's  a  go." 

The  boy  had  stood  motionless  while  our  dis 
cussion  had  gone  on. 

"  How'll  you  get  the  stuff  down  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Tike  it  on  a  barrow,"  he  replied  briefly, 
turning  to  bring  a  big  wheelbarrow  forward. 

"  Tike  they  two,"  he  said,  pointing  to  the  two 
helmets  on  the  right  and  the  shoes  below  them. 
Tom  and  the  lad  took  a  helmet,  and  placed  it  on 
the  barrow.  I  took  a  pair  of  shoes,  and  nearly 
dropped  them.  "  Great  Scott,"  I  ejaculated, 
"  they  weigh  a  ton." 

"  Twinty  pund,"  corrected  the  lad,  without  a 
smile.  *  You'll  need  it  on  bottom." 

We  loaded  till  the  boy  said  "  stop,"  then  took 


116  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

our  burden  to  the  skiff,  carried  it  out  to  the  boat, 
returned  for  a  second  load,  shipped  that,  locked 
the  door,  and  came  down  to  the  shore  through  the 
still  night.  We  had  neither  seen  nor  heard  any  one 
during  our  visit. 

As  we  started  out  of  Brading  Harbor,  Tom 
remarked,  "  I'll  take  the  wheel,  boy,  I've  got  the 
course.  Get  the  armor  on  Mr.  Orrington." 

Never  did  I  experience  such  a  strange  toilet. 
The  dress  of  tan  twill,  interlined  with  sheet  rubber, 
and  the  copper  breastplate  were  clumsy  and  awk 
ward  enough.  The  shoes,  twenty  pounds  to  each 
foot,  were  no  winged  sandals  of  Mercury,  but  the 
huge  helmet  was  worst  of  all.  I  seemed  to  be  pris 
oned  in  a  narrow  cell  and,  despite  myself,  I  could 
not  wholly  keep  from  wondering  what  would  hap 
pen,  if  the  air  pipe  should  break,  or  the  rope  snap. 
The  big  lens,  the  bull's-eye  that  was  the  window 
of  the  front  of  the  helmet,  was  left  open  till  I  went 
down,  and  I  took  in  the  salt  air  in  huge  breaths 
through  the  orifice,  expanding  my  chest  to  its  full 
capacity,  while  the  lad  silently  plied  his  wrench 
on  the  nuts  that  clamped  the  helmet  water-tight. 
At  length  the  suit  was  adjusted,  and  the  safety 
line  tied  securely  round  my  waist.  Then  the  boy 
spoke. 

"  Up   one,   down   two.     That's   all   ye   need." 

He  jerked  the  rope  in  my  hand  once,  twice,  and 
then  started  forward  to  take  the  wheel.  We  had 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  117 

been  racing  swiftly  across,  towards  the  lights  of 
Portsmouth,  as  I  made  my  diving  toilet,  but  my 
thoughts,  far  swifter,  had  gone  thousands  of  miles 
more.  Suppose  I  never  came  up  ?  If  I  did  not, 
would  Dorothy  ever  know  ?  Had  I  made  a 
mistake  in  not  speaking  before  ?  Unavailing 
regret  tore  at  me.  Yet  stronger  than  any  regret 
or  any  weakness  was  my  determination  to  fulfil 
my  mission.  Here  was  the  next  step.  I  must 
see  what  lay  below  the  waves.  As  I  sat  there,  in 
my  cumbrous  raiment,  I  tried  to  analyze  my  sen 
sations.  No  danger  I  had  heretofore  encountered 
had  ever  caused  me  anything  but  a  pleasing  ex 
citement.  Why  should  this  have  a  disquieting 
effect  upon  me,  when  Tom  was  so  eager  to  go. 
The  answer  came  like  a  flash,  in  Lord  Bacon's 
words,  "  He  that  hath  wife  and  children,  hath  given 
hostages  to  fortune."  I  had  neither  as  yet,  but 
my  whole  heart  was  set  on  having  them.  My 
feeling  was  not  cowardly  fear.  Rather,  it  was 
instinctive  regret  at  taking  the  chance  of  going 
and  leaving  Dorothy  behind.  I  breathed  easier 
when  I  had  worked  that  out,  and  gradually,  as 
my  mind  quieted,  the  uneasiness  gave  away  to  a 
sense  of  eager  expectation.  The  shore  lights  were 
growing  brighter,  and  Tom,  leaving  his  place  at 
the  bow,  came  down  the  boat  towards  my  seat 
in  the  stern. 

"  We're  almost  there,  old  man,"  he  remarked 


118  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

jubilantly.  '  The  lad  has  the  bearings.  He'll 
put  us  over  the  exact  spot,  and  then  you  can  go 
overboard.  It's  a  chance  of  a  lifetime." 

Just  as  he  spoke,  the  lad  turned.  "  Bee's  there," 
he  said,  as  he  stopped  the  motor  and  threw  out 
an  anchor.  The  great  coil  of  rope  ran  swiftly 
down  for  a  considerable  distance,  and  brought 
the  boat  up  with  a  jerk.  The  boy  came  back 
towards  us. 

"  Screw  up  t'  bull's-eye  now  an'  start  t'  poomp," 
he  directed. 

"  Good  luck,  old  man,"  said  Tom,  wringing 
my  hand,  as  he  started  up  the  air  pump. 

"  Same  to  you.  I  go  with  leaden  steps,"  I  re 
marked,  waving  my  lead-soled  shoe  as  I  spoke. 

Tom's  hearty  laugh  was  the  last  thing  I  heard. 
The  bull's-eye  shut,  and  I  found  myself  breathing 
fast.  To  my  surprise  the  air  supply  was  ample, 
no  trace  of  taint, — good,  wholesome  air.  "  Come," 
I  said  to  myself.  "  This  is  not  half  bad."  Aided 
by  the  boy,  I  clambered  clumsily  over  the  bow  and 
went  down  the  little  ladder.  As  I  entered  the  water, 
the  weight  of  my  suit  went  from  me,  I  was  borne 
up  as  if  I  were  in  swimming,  but,  as  I  sank  slowly, 
I  began  to  feel  a  strange  earache,  increasing  in 
intensity  till  I  thought  I  should  cry  out  with  the 
agony.  My  forehead  above  my  eyes  seemed 
clamped  in  a  circlet  of  red  hot  iron,  and  the  bells 
of  a  thousand  church  spires  seemed  ringing  and 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  119 

reverberating  through  my  head.  I  could  see 
dimly  the  black  water  about  me,  and  I  gripped  the 
metal  case  of  the  electric  lamp  that  I  held  in  my 
hand,  till  I  feared  it  would  crush  into  fragments. 
All  of  a  sudden  I  touched  bottom,  and  the  pain 
ceased.  The  relief  was  so  great  that  for  a  moment 
or  two  I  stood  motionless,  luxuriating  in  the 
respite  and,  as  I  started  to  go  on,  I  realized  that 
a  slight  depression  was  the  only  unusual  bodily 
feeling  left.  I  turned  the  switch  of  my  lamp  and 
looked  about  me.  Nothing  but  clean,  white 
sand,  nothing  to  show  which  way  I  should  turn. 
"  Straight  ahead  is  the  best  course,"  I  decided, 
and  I  started  forward,  my  boots  and  dress,  heavy 
and  dragging  on  the  surface  as  they  were,  of  but 
the  slightest  inconvenience  here.  Fortunately 
for  me,  the  tide  was  no  serious  hindrance,  and  I 
was  to  windward  of  the  boat.  Before  moving 
I  turned  my  lantern  in  every  direction.  One  thing 
was  sure.  There  was  no  huge  hulking  shadow, 
such  as  a  warship  lying  on  the  bottom  would  make. 
My  lamp  but  dimly  outlined  the  lane  of  light  on 
the  sand  along  which  I  started  forward.  Now  that 
I  was  about  my  work,  and  had  safely  reached  the 
bottom,  the  strangeness  of  the  situation  began  to 
wear  off.  I  went  ahead  twenty  measured  steps, 
casting  my  light  in  every  direction.  No  result. 
I  paced  back  the  same  number  to  keep  my  position 
even.  Turned  to  the  right,  and  repeated  the 


120  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

maneuver.  Turned  to  the  left,  and  did  the  same. 
No  sign.  Apparently  the  depths  had  remained 
untouched  since  the  Royal  George  had  been 
cleared  from  the  harbor,  back  about  1840.  Re 
turned  from  my  last  trip,  I  turned  off  my  lantern, 
to  save  its  current,  and  stood  in  the  darkness 
pondering.  I  did  not  want  to  go  backward  from 
the  place  where  I  was.  Such  a  step  would  put 
me  to  leeward  of  the  boat,  and  the  lad  had  warned 
me  against  such  a  move,  saying  that  it  might  be 
hard  for  me  to  make  progress  against  the  tide. 
There  was  nothing  to  be  done  save  to  try  a  further 
cast  of  fortune,  so  I  pushed  on  twenty  paces  for 
ward  and  started  to  count  twenty  more.  Just  as 
I  was  reaching  the  limit,  the  lantern  gleam  showed 
a  shadow  ahead  of  me.  I  hurried  on  till  the  object 
came  into  the  full  light.  There,  peacefully  as  if 
sleeping  in  his  quiet  bed  at  home,  lay  a  midship 
man  in  his  blue  uniform.  He  could  not  have  been 
fifteen  years  of  age.  His  golden  hair,  that  a  mother 
might  often  have  kissed  and  caressed,  swayed  with 
the  slight  movement  of  the  waters.  His  arm  lay 
naturally  beneath  his  head.  As  I  knelt  beside  this 
childish  victim  of  a  dread  mission,  a  wave  of 
bitter  rebellion  passed  over  me.  I  cried  out  in 
very  intensity  of  feeling.  The  sound  reverberating 
through  the  helmet  to  my  ears  seemed  a  mighty 
roar,  and,  surprised  into  realization,  I  braced 
myself  to  my  work  and  looked  more  closely.  There 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  121 

was  something  strange  about  the  uniform,  some 
thing  different  from  that  on  the  youngsters  I  had 
seen  about  German  harbors.  I  studied  the  form 
before  me  for  a  minute  before  I  saw  what  it  was. 
At  last  I  placed  it.  The  buttons,  the  brass  buttons 
were  gone.  I  looked  more  narrowly.  Not  a  glint 
of  metal  showed.  Rising,  I  passed  on,  and 
entered  on  a  city  of  the  dead  beneath  the  waves. 
Officer  and  sailor,  steward  and  electrician  lay 
in  quiet  rest.  They  lay  all  around  me,  as  if  sleep 
ing  on  a  battlefield,  ready  for  the  struggle  of  the 
morning.  I  had  paced  many  steps  before  I  reached 
the  end.  A  thousand  men  lay  there.  Not  one 
had  even  a  shadow  of  surprise,  of  premonition  of 
death,  upon  his  brow.  All  lay  as  if  ready  for  the 
reveille,  the  reveille  which  would  not  sound  for 
them.  It  seemed  no  thing  of  earth.  Rather  a 
scene  from  some  unearthly  vision  where  I,  a  dis 
embodied  spirit,  walked  among  the  forgotten  shells 
of  other  souls.  I  wakened  with  a  start,  as  I  came 
sharp  up  against  a  mass  which  gave  way  at  my 
approach.  I  flashed  my  lamp  upon  it.  A  heap  of 
crockery,  broken  and  shattered,  met  my  eye. 
One  plate  in  ornate  gold  showed  the  double  eagle 
and  below  "  Kaiserin  Luisa."  That  heap  of 
broken  crockery  and  this  city  of  the  dead  were  all 
that  remained  of  as  fine  a  battleship,  of  as  mag 
nificent  a  result  of  human  ingenuity  and  skill,  as 
ever  sailed  the  seas.  I  must  not  linger,  though, 


122  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

I  had  work  enough  to  do,  to  find  all  I  could  of  the 
reasons  for  the  catastrophe,  and  give  place  to 
Tom  before  the  dawn  could  come.  Just  beside 
me  lay  an  officer.  I  could  not  tell  his  rank,  for 
all  insignia  had  disappeared.  I  stooped  to  look  for 
metal,  when  suddenly  I  felt  myself  rising  steadily. 
I  was  being  drawn  to  the  surface,  though  I  had 
given  no  signal.  Indignantly  I  jerked  the  rope 
twice  again  and  again.  The  men  above  paid  no 
heed  to  my  commands,  and  I  mounted  steadily 
upwards. 

As  I  rose  the  same  pains  attacked  me  as  when 
I  descended,  but  the  space  through  which  they 
endured  seemed  far  shorter.  In  reality  but  a 
brief  interval  elapsed  before  I  was  clambering  up 
the  little  ladder,  to  find  myself  in  the  full  glare  of  a 
powerful  search-light,  while  the  boat  started  off  at 
full  speed.  I  had  no  time  to  look  around  till  the 
boy  helped  me  to  loosen  the  bull's-eye  in  the  front 
of  my  helmet.  Then  I  surveyed  the  scene. 

The  boat  was  going  at  her  top  speed,  while 
Tom  ran  her  straight  out  towards  the  Isle  of  Wight. 
The  search-light  of  a  warship  a  mile  or  more  away 
was  playing  constantly  on  us  as  we  sped  along,  and 
I  could  see  a  spot  of  darkness,  probably  a  launch, 
leaving  her  side  and  starting  in  our  direction.  As 
I  gazed,  I  breathed  in  long  breaths  of  fresh  air. 
I  felt  as  if  I  had  never  known  how  good  air,  just 
plain  air,  was,  before. 


THE   SEARCH  -  LIGHT  OF   A.   WARSHIP   WAS   PLAYING   CONSTANTLY 

ON    US. 

[Page  122. 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  123 

"  Take  off  Mr.  Orrington's  armor,  boy," 
ordered  Tom  sharply.  '  You  all  right,  Jim  ?  " 

"Sure,"  I  answered.     '(  What  are  we  in  for?" 

"  I  don't  know  yet,"  replied  Tom,  "  but  we'll 
know  pretty  soon.  We  can't  get  away  in  this  old 
boat.  We'll  run  as  long  as  we  can,  though. 
Luckily  they  sent  a  launch,  not  a  torpedo  boat 
or  a  destroyer.  The  battleship  landed  us  with 
their  searchlight  just  a  few  minutes  ago,  and  once 
they  fixed  it  on  us,  I  pulled  you  up.  Get  any 
thing  ?  " 

'  Yes,"  I  replied,  and  fell  back  into  silence, 
while  the  lad  valeted  me  out  of  my  diving  suit.  The 
launch  was  coming  swiftly.  It  seemed  to  be 
moving  two  feet  to  our  one. 

"  It's  going  to  be  a  pretty  close  shave,"  I  re 
marked,  as  I  stood  beside  Tom,  who  had  given 
the  wheel  to  the  boy. 

*  Yes,  but  I'm  going  to  head  straight  for  Ryder, 
and  trust  to  luck,"  he  said.  We  were  well  towards 
the  shores  of  the  Isle  as  the  launch  came  near 
enough  to  hail. 

"  Stop  or  we  shoot,"  came  hurtling  at  us. 

"  No  go,"  said  Tom  resignedly,  as  he  stopped  the 
engine,  "  and  there's  the  shore  not  five  hundred 
yards  away." 

Just  as  he  spoke,  the  light  vanished.  The 
searchlight  had  gone  out;  something  must  have 
happened  to  the  current.  We  could  hear  the 


124  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

officer  swear  vigorously,  as  the  launch  came  up. 

Tom  seized  my  arm.  '  To  the  dingy,"  he 
whispered.  "  Lad,  if  you  keep  your  mouth  shut, 
I'll  straighten  everything  out,"  he  murmured  to 
the  boy,  as  we  scrambled  to  the  stern. 

"  Roight,  sor,"  said  the  boy  briefly,  as  he  sat 
phlegmatically  beside  the  engine. 

Tumbling  into  the  dingy,  I  seized  the  oars  and 
pulled  swiftly  towards  the  shore,  as  the  launch 
came  up  on  the  opposite  side.  We  could  hear 
the  hail  as  the  officer  came  aboard,  and  his  angry 
raging  "  Where  are  the  other  men  ?  " 

"  Don't  know,"  answered  the  boy. 

The  officer  ran  to  the  stern. 

"  They  have  the  boat,  follow  them,"  he  cried, 
but  just  as  the  launch  turned,  we  struck  the  shore, 
and  before  the  panting  sailors  could  reach  us,  were 
off  the  beach  and  sheltered  in  a  deep  doorway. 
We  heard  their  steps  running  by,  as  we  stood 
crouched  against  the  wall,  but  we  dared  not  ven 
ture  out  till  we  had  heard  them  returning  after  a 
futile  chase.  Once  they  were  by,  we  started  off 
into  the  country  at  a  brisk  pace. 

The  morning  was  well  on  as  we  came  into 
Seaview,  whence  we  had  planned  to  come  back 
to  Portsmouth.  I  had  finished  my  story,  and  Tom 
had  meditated  on  it  for  an  hour,  while  we  strode 
sturdily  on.  As  we  stopped  by  a  wayside  brook 
to  freshen  our  toilet,  he  spoke.  "  No  metal  ?  " 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  125 

"  Not  a  bit,"  I  answered. 

"  Dorothy  was  right,"  said  Tom.  "  The  man 
who  is  trying  to  stop  all  war  must  have  some 
terrific  power  which  utterly  destroys  metal,  causing 
it  to  change  completely  into  some  other  form, 
and  instantly  disappear.  How  horrible  to  have 
that  man  at  large.  Jim,  we've  got  to  find  him. 
That  little  middy  you  told  me  of  would  fire  my 
purpose  ten  times  over,  if  it  were  not  ablaze  al 
ready.  There's  one  thing  though,  —  do  you 
suppose  the  British  government  knows  what  we 
know  ?  " 

"  I  have  very  little  doubt  they  do,"  I  answered, 
"  I  fully  believe  that  somebody  had  been  there 
before  us.  Everything  points  that  way;  the  clos 
ing  of  all  diving  operations  by  the  authorities,  the 
chase  of  our  boat  and  their  persistent  effort  to 
capture  us." 

'  You  must  be  right,  Jim,"  said  Tom  soberly. 
*  They  wouldn't  want  any  one  to  know  any  more 
about  conditions  than  they  could  help.  You  can't 
tell  what  little  thing  will  start  the  fire  of  war  just 
now.  I  guess  we'd  better  keep  this  to  ourselves 
for  the  present." 

"  Right  you  are,"  I  answered,  as  we  walked 
into  Seaview. 

We  reached  our  rooms  without  the  slightest 
difficulty,  and  went  to  bed  after  a  hearty  break 
fast.  We  were  awakened  about  twelve  by  a  knock 


126  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

at  the  door,  and  the  call  of  a  familiar  voice.  It 
was  our  friend  Thompson,  the  manager.  He 
closed  the  door  carefully,  as  I  admitted  him. 
Then  he  turned  and  shook  hands  with  me. 

"  Mr.  Orrington,"  he  said,  "  you're  a  great  man, 
and  a  lucky  one.  J.  Miggs  and  his  boy  came  to 
see  me  this  morning." 

"  Then  they  didn't  keep  them  ?  "  I  cried. 

"  No,"  said  Thompson  laughing.  '  J.  Miggs 
got  out  of  prison,  and  his  boy  never  got  there. 
The  lad  waked  up  for  once.  The  launch  with  all 
its  crew  went  chasing  you  and,  by  the  time  they 
got  back,  the  youngster  was  safe  at  the  dock  at 
Portsmouth,  and  the  suits  were  stored.  You'd 
better  not  see  either  of  them  though.  They  may 
be  watched.  If  you'll  give  me  the  money,  I'll  pay 
him  and  it  will  be  all  right." 

I  paid  the  money,  and  we  parted. 

The  moment  Thompson  closed  the  door,  I 
rushed  into  Tom's  room. 

"  Get  up,"  I  said  energetically.  '  J.  Miggs 
and  his  boy  are  both  free;  I've  left  the  money  for 
them,  and  it's  time  now  for  us  to  get  out  immedi 
ately.  This  town  is  none  too  healthy  a  location  for 
us,  now  that  business  is  out  of  the  way." 

Tom's  loquaciousness  had  a  habit  of  utterly 
disappearing,  when  a  new  scientific  conception 
entered  his  head.  As  we  drove  to  the  station, 
he  stopped  the  cab  at  a  bookseller's,  dashed  in, 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  127 

and  returned  with  a  package  of  books  and  papers. 
Once  settled  in  the  train,  "  Don't  speak  to  me 
till  I  get  through,  if  you  don't  mind,"  he  said, 
"  I've  got  something  here  I  want  to  work  out.'* 
He  opened  his  new  package,  spread  the  books 
on  the  seat,  and  took  up  a  block  and  his  fountain 
pen.  I  scanned  the  titles  of  his  books  casually. 
"  New  Insulators  for  High  Currents,"  "  Control 
and  Insulation  of  Radio-active  Apparatus," 
"  Yacht  Construction,"  "  Theory  of  Wood  Work 
ing,"  "  Caema,  What  It  Has  Done  for  Electricity," 
"  Types  of  Sailing  Vessels  for  the  Past  Twenty 
Years."  "  Queer  mixture,"  I  said  to  myself  idly, 
and  then  I  turned  my  attention  to  the  scenery. 

Tom  was  busy  with  his  pocket  rule,  measuring 
and  laying  off  diagrams,  for  three  hours,  until  the 
outer  edges  of  London  began  to  appear.  Looking 
up  suddenly,  he  spoke,  "  Almost  in,  aren't  we  ? 
Well,  I'll  put  my  work  away,  and  we'll  discuss 
our  future  plans  for  a  few  minutes." 

As  we  rolled  into  Waterloo  station,  our  dis 
cussion  ended.  '  We'll  go  down  somewhere  on 
the  Channel,"  said  Tom,  "  set  up  the  wave- 
measuring  machine,  and  see  what  we  can  do  with 
that.  It's  our  best  card,  and  we'll  work  there  till 
Dorothy  comes.  We've  got  to  hang  round  here  till 
she  arrives,  anyway." 

'  We   certainly   have,"   said   I,   and   my   heart 
leaped  exultantly  at  the  thought  of  her  coming. 


CHAPTER  X 

ONCE  more  I  sought  the  booking  office  at 
Euston. 

"  The  Express  has  left  Prince's  Stage  at  Liver 
pool,  sir.  Will  be  here  in  about  three  hours  now, 
sir,"  was  the  response  to  my  question. 

I  turned  away,  dismissed  my  cab,  and  started 
out  through  the  great  pillars  of  the  entrance.  Three 
hours  more  and  Dorothy  would  be  here.  Tom  and 
I,  with  the  wave-measuring  machine,  had  taken 
the  first  boat,  which  happily  left  the  evening  after 
our  interview  with  Ordway.  Dorothy,  following  a 
week  later,  had  arrived  at  Liverpool  and  was 
speeding  to  London.  It  had  been  hard  to  wait 
the  week,  filled  as  it  had  been  with  work,  but  it 
seemed  as  if  these  last  hours  would  never  go.  Three 
hours  to  wait !  I  had  paced  the  platform  of 
Euston  for  two  already,  and  I  walked  out  now 
towards  Bloomsbury,  passing  slowly  through  its 
pleasant  squares,  and  watching  the  foliage  behind 
their  guarding  railings.  Before  I  knew  it,  I  was 
in  front  of  the  British  Museum,  and  I  glanced  at 
my  watch.  "  As  good  a  place  to  wait  as  any,"  I 
Said  to  myself,  and  I  crossed  the  courtyard  and 

128 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  129 

started  up  the  steps.  Just  then  a  man,  hurrying 
out,  slipped  at  the  top  of  the  stone  steps  and  fell 
heavily,  striking  his  head  and  lying  unconscious 
where  he  fell.  As  it  chanced,  I  was  the  only 
spectator,  save  for  a  single  policeman,  and,  as  I 
hurried  forward,  I  noticed  a  Theta  Sigma  Rho 
fraternity  pin  on  the  waistcoat  of  the  fallen  man. 
I  reached  him  first,  the  policeman  coming  up  a 
second  later,  and  together  we  raised  the  uncon 
scious  form  and  carried  the  man  to  an  office, 
where  we  placed  him  on  a  lounge.  I  read  the  name 
on  the  reverse  of  his  pin.  "  E.  S.  Hamerly."  As 
he  lay  there,  breathing  heavily,  I  watched  him  with 
that  interest  which  a  fellow  countryman,  and  far 
more  than  that,  a  member  of  one's  own  fraternity, 
in  distress  in  a  foreign  land  inspires.  He  was  a 
clean-cut  young  fellow,  neatly  but  very  simply 
clad,  and  I  noticed  a  red  acid  stain  on  his  sleeve. 
I  had  time  for  no  more,  for  the  doctor  came  hurry 
ing  in. 

"  Only  a  scalp  wound,"  he  said,  as  he  made 
his  brief  examination.  "  I  can  bring  him  round 
in  a  minute." 

A  vigorous  application  of  cold  water,  an  aro 
matic  to  his  nose,  and  the  patient  sneezed  and 
opened  his  eyes.  As  he  gazed  around  I  stepped 
forward. 

"  Mr.  Hamerly,"  I  said,  "  I'm  Orrington  of 
Columbia.  I'm  a  Theta  Sigma  Rho  man,  myself, 


130  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

as  I  see  you  are.  You've  had  a  nasty  fall,  but 
you're  coming  out  all  right.  I'm  going  to  see  you 
home." 

Hamerly  smiled  rather  wanly.  "  I  don't  feel 
very  energetic,"  he  said.  "  I'd  be  mighty  glad 
to  have  you.  I'm  in  lodgings  up  on  Half-Moon 
Street." 

The  doctor  broke  in.  '  That's  enough  talking 
for  the  present.  Let  me  fix  up  your  head  and 
you  can  go  all  right." 

While  the  doctor  bandaged  Hamerly's  head, 
I  signalled  a  hansom,  and  in  a  few  minutes  we  were 
speeding  off  to  Half-Moon  Street. 

Too  much  shaken  up  by  his  fall  for  conversation, 
Hamerly  lay  back  against  the  cushions  till  we 
reached  his  lodgings,  but  he  arrived  there  without 
seeming  any  worse  for  the  trip.  I  saw  him  safely 
to  bed,  promised  him  an  early  visit,  and  left  a  call 
for  a  near-by  doctor.  Then  I  looked  at  my  watch. 
Barely  time  to  reach  Dorothy's  train.  '  To 
Euston.  Rush  !  "  I  cried  to  the  cabby,  and  away 
we  sped.  Just  as  the  train  came  puffing  in,  I 
reached  the  platform,  and  there  was  Dorothy's 
dear  head  leaning  from  the  window  of  her  car. 
The  black  old  station  was  transformed  as  she 
stepped  lightly  to  the  platform,  followed  by  her 
maid.  She  came  towards  me  with  both  hands 
outstretched.  "  Oh,  Jim,  it's  good  to  see  you. 
Where's  Tom  ?  " 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  131 

"  Down  at  Folkestone,"  I  answered.  "  We'll 
join  him  there  as  soon  as  you've  had  a  night's 
sleep." 

"  Why  wait  for  that  ?  "  asked  Dorothy  energetic 
ally.  "  It's  only  twelve  now.  We  can  run  down 
there  after  lunch.  Where  are  our  rooms  ?  " 

"  At  the  Savoy,"  I  said.  "  Suppose  you  send 
your  maid  up  there  with  the  luggage,  and  we  go 
up  in  a  hansom." 

It  took  scarcely  ten  minutes  to  load  the  maid  and 
the  luggage  in  a  four-wheeler  and  join  Dorothy. 
As  we  swung  out  through  the  gates,  she  spoke 
with  a  long  breath.  "  It  seems  good  to  be  back 
in  London  again,  even  with  war  so  near»and  with 
so  much  ahead  of  us.  Now,  tell  me  everything 
that's  happened  since  you  came  over  to  London 
from  Portsmouth.  I  got  your  letter  at  Queens- 
town  telling  about  your  experiences  on  the  bot 
tom  of  the  sea.  How  I  wish  I  could  have  been 
there.  But  never  mind  that  now.  Tell  me  all 
you've  done  in  the  last  four  days." 

I  settled  down  to  my  task.  "  Tom  and  I  came 
over  safely,  as  you  already  know,  from  our  wire 
at  Queenstown.  We  decided  that  *  the  man  ' 
would  be  working  in  the  Channel  and,  after  some 
discussion,  settled  on  Folkestone  as  the  base  from 
which  to  work  the  wave-measuring  machine.  We 
took  the  apparatus  down  there  three  days  ago,  got 
a  big  room  and  set  it  up.  I  chartered  a  yacht." 


132  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

"  What  did  you  do  that  for  ? "  interrupted 
Dorothy. 

"  So  we  could  run  down  *  the  man  '  if  he  was  on 
the  sea.  We  decided,  coming  over,  that  he  was 
more  likely  to  do  his  experimenting  on  water  than 
on  land,  and  Tom  thinks  he  can  get  him  from  his 
experimental  waves." 

"  I  see,"  said  Dorothy.    "  Go  ahead." 

"  After  chartering  the  yacht,  I  helped  Tom  all 
I  could  till  last  night,  when  I  came  up  to  London 
to  meet  you.  Tom  expects  to  get  the  machine  set 
up  to-day.  That's  about  all." 

"  How  is  the  war  progressing  ?  "  asked  Dorothy. 
"  Everybody  on  board  the  liner  was  greatly 
afraid  it  would  begin  before  we  got  across,  and  that 
we  might  be  captured,  but  we  reached  Liverpool 
ail  right." 

"  Nothing's  happened  yet,"  I  answered.  "  But 
I  think  it's  coming,  may  come  any  minute.  They 
say  that  the  Emperor  has  refused  to  see  visitors, 
since  the  Kaiserin  Luisa  went  down,  and  I  think 
the  government  expects  war  immediately.  They're 
mobilizing  rapidly  on  both  sides." 

'  Then  there  certainly  isn't  a  minute  to  lose  in 
reaching  Folkestone,"  said  Dorothy  decisively. 
"  We'll  just  stop  for  lunch  and  go  right  down." 

It  was  a  day  of  wonders.  Since  the  night  when 
we  had  searched  for  Joslinn,  Dorothy  and  I  had 
never  been  alone  together.  The  ride  from  the 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  133 

station  to  the  Savoy  was  a  glorified  pilgrimage; 
the  lunch,  as  we  sat  looking  out  on  the  embank 
ment  bathed  in  sunshine,  was  a  celestial  repast, 
even  the  time  of  waiting  in  the  hotel  for  Dorothy 
to  condense  her  luggage,  and  make  ready  for  the 
coming  trip,  was  a  delight.  But  best  of  all  was 
the  trip  down  to  Folkestone.  The  guard  smiled 
widely  at  the  golden  sovereign  which  saved  the 
compartment  for  us,  and  the  porter  heaped  atten 
tions  on  us  for  his  tip,  but  the  value  which  they 
purchased  was  priceless.  Two  hours  of  speeding 
through  the  lovely  English  country  in  a  tete-a-tete 
with  my  lady. 

All  too  soon  came  Folkestone,  and  there  beside 
the  train  was  Tom.  "  I've  got  him,"  he  whispered 
excitedly.  "  Hurry  up,  it's  just  time  to  take 
another  reading." 

As  we  bowled  along  through  the  old  streets, 
Tom  hurriedly  told  us  of  his  experience.  "  He's 
experimenting  constantly  now,"  he  said.  "  He 
sent  off  some  waves  yesterday  afternoon  about  four 
o'clock,  just  after  I  got  the  apparatus  going;  sent 
off  some  more  about  ten,  and  some  this  morning,  a 
little  after  nine.  They're  all  from  some  place  out 
in  the  Channel,  over  towards  the  French  coast. 
They're  from  practically  the  same  spot,  so  I  got 
everything  ready  for  an  instant  departure  on  our 
little  boat,  and  the  moment  we  hear  from  him 
again,  we'll  start  straight  for  him." 


134  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

Dorothy's  eyes  sparkled  with  excitement.  "  I'm 
so  glad  I  got  here.  I  wouldn't  miss  the  end  for 
anything." 

"  But  you're  not  going  with  us  on  the  yacht  ?  " 
I  said  anxiously. 

"  Of  course  she's  not,"  said  Tom  gruffly. 

"  Well,  I  am,"  said  Dorothy,  "  and  that's  all 
there  is  about  it." 

Tom  and  I  broke  out  in  a  jumble  of  incoherent 
objections,  which  Dorothy  met  with  smiling  assur 
ance. 

"  You  think  '  the  man  '  may  be  desperate  if  we 
find  him,"  she  said.  "  Well,  I  don't  for  a  minute 
believe  he  will  be.  He's  doing  too  big  a  thing  to 
have  anything  against  ordinary  people,  and  if 
something  did  happen,  you'd  need  me  to  protect 
you." 

Ten  minutes  more  of  the  drive  brought  ten 
minutes  more  of  heated  discussion,  but  it  brought 
us  no  victory,  and  the  end  of  the  debate  came  when 
Tom  gave  in  with  the  brotherly  remark :  e<  Well, 
go  your  own  confounded,  obstinate  way  then." 
To  which  Dorothy,  as  calm  and  smiling  as  a 
summer  morn,  responded  simply,  "  I  shall." 

"  Here's  our  place,"  said  Tom,  as  we  rattled  up 
to  a  house  which  displayed  on  the  stairs  to  the 
second  story  a  sign,  "  Dancing  Academy."  '  This 
was  the  only  room  we  could  get  that  had  incandes 
cent  wiring,  and  that  was  long  enough  to  hold  the 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  135 

scale  of  the  Denckel  apparatus,"  he  explained  to 
Dorothy,  as  we  crossed  the  bare  floor  to  the  appara 
tus,  standing  in  front  of  the  chairs  whereon  was 
wont  to  repose  the  beauty  and  chivalry  of  Folke 
stone,  at  the  "  assemblies  "  advertised  below. 

"  The  machine  is  working  beautifully.  Look 
at  this."  He  threw  the  switch,  lighted  the  lamp, 
and  lowered  the  green  shade.  The  belt  of  metal 
had  revolved  scarcely  a  minute,  and  Tom  was 
pulling  down  the  last  shade,  as  the  beam  fluttered 
and  the  machine  stopped.  "  Just  in  time,"  said 
Dorothy  delighted.  "  Hurry  up,  Tom."  The  old 
inherent  passion  of  the  chase  was  on  us  all,  and 
in  less  than  twenty  minutes,  the  last  figures  made, 
Tom  and  Dorothy  compared  their  work. 

'  Just  there,"  said  Tom,  making  a  cross  with  his 
pencil  on  a  point  on  the  French  coast  some  ten 
miles  up  from  Boulogne.  "  Come  on,  don't 
waste  a  minute.  It's  practically  a  straight  run 
across  the  channel." 

Ten  minutes  brought  us  aboard  the  little  yacht 
and  ten  minutes  more  saw  us  steaming  out  of  the 
harbor.  Dorothy  was  with  us.  Further  discus 
sion  had  been  useless. 

"  Not  much  like  the  Black  Arrow,"  I  said,  as 
we  came  out  rather  slowly  into  the  Channel. 

'  You  wait  till  she  gets  speeded  up,"  said  Tom. 
"  She  can  go.  I  proved  that  yesterday." 

He  was  right.    Once  out  into  the  Channel,  our 


136  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

speed  gradually  increased,  till  we  were  making 
good  progress.  In  an  hour  we  sighted  the  French 
coast  from  the  little  bridge,  and  Tom,  beside 
the  skipper,  was  making  for  the  cross  on  the 
chart. 

"  We'll  sight  her,  if  she  hasn't  gone  directly 
away  from  us,  inside  of  fifteen  minutes,"  Tom 
said.  Dorothy  stood  beside  the  wheel,  ranging 
the  whole  horizon  with  her  binoculars.  She  had 
thrown  aside  her  hat,  and  a  loosened  tress  of  her 
hair  flew  lightly  across  my  face  as  I  stood  beside 
her. 

"  Two  sails  off  that  point,"  she  announced,  in 
a  few  moments.  "  They  look  more  like  those  tubs 
of  French  fishing-boats  than  a  yacht,"  she  said 
shortly.  "  Look  at  them,  Jim." 

She  handed  her  glasses  to  me.  The  horizon, 
for  five  miles  in  any  direction  from  the  point  where 
we  were  heading,  showed  but  the  two  sails  she 
had  mentioned,  and  we  headed  directly  for  them. 
As  we  neared  them,  we  saw  that  Dorothy's  eyes 
had  proved  true.  They  were  wide,  clumsy, 
fishing  craft,  such  as  sail  from  the  harbor  of 
Boulogne,  or  hang  in  miniature  as  votive  offerings 
before  the  altars  of  the  cathedral.  Undecked  and 
open,  they  could  hold  no  complicated  apparatus. 
Their  crews  were  sturdy,  jerseyed  fishermen,  who 
stared  in  open-mouthed  wonder,  as  our  yacht 
came  up  alongside  the  first,  and  a  volley  of  ques- 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  137 

tions  came  in  rapid  French  from  the  beautiful 
girl  on  the  bridge. 

With  instinctive  courtesy,  every  sailor  on  either 
boat  removed  his  cap  as  she  spoke,  and  the  skipper 
gave  answer  in  slow,  deeply  considered  words. 
"  No,  we  have  seen  no  yacht  except  your  own. 
Hein  !  is  it  not  so  ?  "  he  turned  to  the  sailors. 

A  chorus  of  affirmatives  came  back.  There 
had  been  no  other  vessel  off  this  point  save  the 
Virginie  of  their  own  town,  (an  expressive  thumb 
pointed  to  the  other  boat,)  for  four,  five  hours. 
They  would  surely  have  seen  it  if  there  had  been. 
Tom  consulted  his  chart  and  consulted  our  own 
skipper.  It  was  the  very  spot.  With  knitted 
brow,  he  ordered  the  boat  headed  for  the  other 
fishermen.  I  pulled  a  half  sovereign  from  my 
pocket. 

"  Buvez  avec  moi,  mes  garcons,"  I  cried,  and 
flung  the  coin  into  the  fishing  boat.  A  chorus  of 
"  Merci's  "  followed  our  path. 

The  other  boat  gave  no  better  results.  Its  sailors 
had  seen  nothing,  and  we  ran  back  to  the  point 
whence  the  waves  had  come,  for  a  brief  consul 
tation.  As  we  gazed  on  the  quiet  water  just 
tinged  with  the  last  of  the  sunset,  I  spoke. 

*  There's  only  one  explanation,  if  the  wave- 
measuring  machine  is  correct.  He's  down  on  the 
bottom  in  a  submarine,  or  he  was  there  when  he 
sent  off  those  waves." 


138  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

"  I'm  afraid  that's  right,  Jim,"  said  Tom.  "  If 
I  could  only  see  down  there.  I  wonder  how  deep 
it  is."  He  called  to  the  captain.  '  Take  a  sound 
ing  here,  will  you  please  ?  " 

We  hurried  forward  and  watched  the  line  over 
board.  Fathom  after  fathom  disappeared  up  to 
the  very  end.  "  It's  more  than  a  hundred  twenty 
fathom,  sir,"  reported  the  captain. 

"  No  use,  then,"  said  Tom.  "  Go  right  back  to 
Folkestone.  We'll  have  a  couple  more  tries  to 
morrow,"  he  went  on.  "  But,  frankly,  I'm 
afraid  it  won't  do  any  good.  To  find  a  submarine 
in  these  waters  would  be  worse  than  finding  a 
needle  in  a  haystack." 

It  was  a  rather  gloomy  little  party  that  landed  at 
Folkestone  that  night.  We  had  seemed  so  near  suc 
cess.  Yet  there  was  one  alleviation.  I  had  dreaded 
bringing  Dorothy  into  danger,  and  I  had  had 
a  most  uneasy  feeling  as  to  the  possible  result  of 
the  meeting  with  a  man  inspired  with  so  fixed  and 
fearful  a  purpose  as  he  whom  we  sought.  Much 
as  I  desired  the  completion  of  my  search,  I  could 
not  therefore  feel  too  complete  a  sense  of  regret 
at  the  two  failures  which  we  encountered  on  the 
Channel  the  next  day.  The  man  was  in  the 
Channel  sea.  He  was  experimenting  with  his 
apparatus  daily  under  its  waves.  We  could  be 
sure  of  that,  but  he  could  not  be  reached,  so  we 
finally  gave  in  and  returned  to  London. 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  139 

All  the  way  up  in  the  train,  Dorothy  sat  in  deep 
thought,  but  no  result  came  from  her  medita 
tions,  and  we  returned  to  the  Savoy  without  a  ray 
of  light  as  to  our  next  move. 

The  next  morning  I  woke  with  fresh  courage. 
We  had  gained  so  much  and  so  unexpectedly, 
that  I  felt  convinced  we  must  gain  more.  I  found 
a  table  in  the  dining-room,  and  waited  there  for 
Tom  and  Dorothy,  who  shortly  appeared.  We 
breakfasted  gaily.  The  morning  sun  shone 
brightly  on  the  little  park  below  the  window  and 
on  the  Thames,  flowing  slowly  beyond.  The 
peaceful  scene  looked  little  like  war,  but  the 
papers  before  us  were  full  of  dire  forebodings. 
The  German  Emperor  still  sulked.  Movements  of 
army  corps  and  of  battleships  were  the  main  part 
of  their  story.  Despite  the  columns  filled  with 
martial  things,  every  newspaper  had  at  least  one 
reference  to  the  man  who  was  trying  to  stop  all 
war,  and  in  more  than  one  of  them  was  a  word 
as  to  the  double  danger  of  the  fleets,  who  faced 
not  only  a  foreign  foe,  but  annihilation  at  the  hands 
of  this  unseen  destroyer.  As  we  finished  breakfast, 
Dorothy  asked,  "  What  are  you  boys  going  to  do 
this  morning  ?  " 

"  I  must  go  down  to  the  city  to  get  some  money," 
I  replied. 

"  I  think  I'll  do  the  same,"  remarked  Tom. 

"  We'll  all  go  together,  then,"  said  Dorothy. 


140  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

As  we  passed  out  into  the  courtyard,  I  raised 
my  stick  for  a  cab,  but  Dorothy  stopped  me. 
"  Let's  go  down  on  top  of  a  bus.  I  haven't  been 
on  one  since  I  landed,  and  we're  in  no  hurry." 

Up  the  winding  stair  we  climbed,  and  Tom  and 
Dorothy  found  a  seat  beside  the  driver,  while  I 
was  just  behind.  Down  the  Strand  into  Fleet 
Street  we  passed,  through  the  crowds  before  the 
bulletins,  watching  anxiously  for  the  message 
which  should  spell  "  War."  At  the  top  of  Lud- 
gate  Hill,  just  by  St.  Paul's,  came  a  block,  one  of 
those  hopeless  tangles  which  so  completely  ties 
up  London  traffic.  Another  bus  stood  just  ahead, 
and  I  read  off  the  big  advertisements  which  lined 
its  top.  "  Alhambra  Radium  Ballet,"  I  read. 
*  There's  a  scientific  scheme  for  you  people.  What 
is  a  radium  ballet,  anyway  ?  " 

"  Oh,  they  cover  the  girls'  dresses  with  phos 
phorescent  paint,  and  turn  out  the  lights,"  said 
Tom.  "  It's  an  old  idea.  They  had  them  ten 
years  ago." 

Dorothy  turned  suddenly.  '  That's  what  we 
want.  It's  the  very  thing  we've  been  hunting  for, 
the  new  clue.  We've  never  run  that  down,  at  all." 

Tom  and  I  followed  slowly  her  quick  intuition. 
"  What  new  clue  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  The  phosphorescent  paint  clue,"  answered 
Dorothy  energetically.  "  '  The  man  '  wrote  his 
first  message  with  a  peculiar  type  of  phosphores- 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  141 

cent  ink.  He  must  have  been  working  with  it  for 
some  time.  If  we  can  only  find  anybody  that  knows 
about  that  kind  of  paint,  we  might  find  out  some 
thing  more  definite  about  him.  It's  the  best  clue 
we  have,  anyway." 

"  But  how  will  you  get  hold  of  the  people  who 
know  about  phosphorescent  paint  ?  "  said  Tom. 
"  I  think  you're  in  the  blindest  alley  yet." 


CHAPTER   XI 

As  the  horses  started  up,  Dorothy  refuted  Tom's 
statement  indignantly.  "  It  isn't  a  blind  alley.  It's 
a  good  clue.  We've  run  down  practically  every 
other  line,  and  now  we  may  as  well  try  this.  Every 
thing  points  to  the  belief  that  '  the  man  '  is  a 
scientist  of  no  slight  ability.  Whether  he  or  some 
one  else  discovered  his  high  power  radio-active 
force,  he  must  be  a  good  man,  or  he  wouldn't  be 
able  to  use  it.  Now,  it  seems  probable  to  me  that 
he  was  working  with  phosphorescent  ink  simply 
because  it  was  the  nearest  at  hand.  A  man  en 
gaged  in  research  like  that  would  be  likely  to  have 
at  least  one  assistant.  I  propose  to  find  that 
assistant." 

"  I'd  like  to  see  you  do  it,"  said  Tom  doubtingly. 
"  How  would  you  go  to  work  ?  " 

"  I'd  advertise,"  said  Dorothy. 

"  Advertise,"  remarked  Tom.  "  Here's  the  way 
to  do  it,  — '  Wanted,  the  assistant  of  the  man  who 
is  trying  to  stop  all  war.' ' 

"  Of  course  not,  stupid,"  said  Dorothy  impa 
tiently.  "  We'll  advertise  for  a  man  who  has  had 
some  experience  in  making  phosphorescent  ink. 

142 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  143 

That's  the  line  to  work  on.  Don't  you  see  that 
since  phosphorescent  paint  acts  best  with  such 
energy  as  is  given  by  radio-active  substances,  that 
he's  likely  to  have  been  using  it.  There's  such  a 
close  relation  between  phosphorescence  and  radio 
activity,  that  a  man  might  be  working  with  both." 

"  But  where  will  you  advertise  ?  "  I  said.  "  How 
can  you  tell  where  the  man  has  worked  ?  How 
can  you  tell  his  nationality  ?  I  think  he  is  an 
American,  but  no  one  can  tell." 

"  If  you  mean  Dick  Regnier,"  exclaimed  Doro 
thy,  her  eyes  flashing,  "  you're  wrong.  I've  known 
him  for  years,  and  I  know  he  is  not  the  man.  It 
takes  just  a  touch  of  insanity  that  Dick  never  had, 
to  do  what  *  the  man  '  is  doing.  '  The  man  '  must 
be  practically  a  monomaniac  on  the  subject." 

The  bus  stopped  just  as  the  Bank  came  in  sight. 
Dorothy  turned  squarely -in  her  seat  and  faced  me. 
The  seats  around  us  happened  to  be  empty.  She 
looked  at  my  somewhat  guilty  face  and  spoke 
emphatically. 

'  Jim  Orrington,  you  don't  believe  me,  but  it 
isn't  Dick  Regnier." 

"  Now,  Dorothy,"  I  said,  "  look  here.  How  did 
the  letter  get  changed,  unless  it  was  done  by 
Regnier  that  night  at  your  cousin's  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  she  answered. 

"  Oh,  come  now,"  said  Tom.  "  Drop  it.  Here's 
where  we  get  off." 


144  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

We  had  drawn  our  money  and  had  started  away, 
when  I  suddenly  thought  of  the  mail.  I  turned 
back  to  the  little  window  and  asked  if  there  were 
any  letters  for  us  which  had  not  been  forwarded. 
A  few  moments  brought  a  big  package,  among 
them  three  or  four  bulky  envelopes  from  the  office. 
Hailing  a  cab,  we  read  busily  as  we  drove  back  to 
the  Savoy.  One  long  typewritten  report  I  read 
with  especial  care,  and  handed  over  to  Dorothy 
when  she  had  finished  her  mail.  She  looked  at 
me  reproachfully,  as  she  read  the  title.  "  And  you 
never  mentioned  this  at  all." 

"  I  forgot  all  about  it,"  I  answered.  "  I  started 
that  inquiry  the  day  I  was  in  prison.  The  night  I 
got  out,  the  Denckel  letter  came,  and  we've  been 
so  busy  ever  since  that  I  completely  forgot  this." 

"  Let's  hear  it,"  said  Tom. 

"  Just  read  the  condensed  paragraph  at  the  top," 
I  said.  "  That  tells  the  whole  story.  You  can 
read  the  rest  at  your  leisure."  Dorothy  began 
in  her  clear  voice. 

"  Report  on  Mr.  Richard  Regnier.  Richard 
Regnier  is  the  son  of  the  late  Colonel  Arthur 
Regnier  of  Savannah,  Georgia.  He  was  educated 
at  private  schools,  and  at  Princeton.  His  residence 
is  Savannah,  but  he  has  spent  much  time  in  Eng 
land.  He  specialized  in  chemistry  when  in  college, 
and  published  one  paper  after  graduation  on  some 
rare  chemical  compounds.  He  has  no  regular 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  145 

occupation,  has  an  independent  income,  and  spends 
most  of  his  time  in  various  philanthropic  works.  Is 
a  member  of  several  organizations,  such  as  the 
Peace  Society,  the  Tuberculosis  League,  etc.,  and 
of  four  clubs.  Complete  details  given  below. 
Every  effort  has  been  made  to  obtain  his  present 
address,  but  not  even  his  bankers  know  it.  The 
only  fact  concerning  this  which  could  be  obtained 
was  that  he  sailed  for  Europe  on  the  Hamburg- 
American  line,  the  last  of  June,  this  present  year. 
For  details  of  this  part  of  the  investigation,  see 
below." 

:  "Well,  he  didn't  do  it;  he  isn't  doing  it,"  said 
Dorothy  emphatically. 

"  He's  got  the  training  for  it,"  said  Tom  reflect 
ively. 

"  I  am  sure,"  began  Dorothy,  but  I  broke  in. 

"  What's  the  use  of  discussing  it  now.  We  can't 
get  hold  of  Regnier,  anyway,  and  your  phos 
phorescent  ink  scheme  seems  the  next  scheme  to 
try.  Here  we  are  at  the  Temple.  Let's  go  to  one 
of  my  friends  who  is  a  solicitor  here,  and  see  if  we 
can  use  his  office  as  headquarters  to  see  the  ap 
plicants."  So  the  discussion  ended. 

A  brief  interview  with  my  friend,  and  a  short 
debate  on  the  best  method  of  procedure,  brought  us 
to  certain  conclusions.  It  was  really  just  as  pos 
sible  that  the  man  had  worked  in  London  as  any 
where  else,  and  we  decided  to  advertise  in  six  of 


146  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

the  morning  papers  for  three  days,  asking  for  a 
man  who  had  had  some  experience  with  phos 
phorescent  inks,  and  who  was  capable  of  assisting 
in  a  scientific  examination  with  regard  to  them. 
Applicants  were  to  meet  at  the  office  of  my  friend 
in  the  Middle  Temple  at  three  o'clock  on  the  after 
noon  of  the  third  day. 

For  two  days  and  a  half  I  spent  my  time  watch 
ing  the  preparations  for  war,  and  urging  forward 
the  search  for  Regnier.  He  had  completely 
dropped  out  of  sight.  No  information  of  his 
whereabouts  could  be  obtained,  and  when  we  met 
at  the  Temple  on  the  afternoon  of  the  third  day, 
we  were  no  further  ahead. 

At  three  o'clock  the  waiting  room  of  the  office 
was  full,  and  a  long  line  of  men  extended  down 
the  stairs.  The  crowd  bore  striking  witness  to  the 
horde  of  unemployed  seeking  for  even  the  slightest 
chance  of  employment.  My  friend's  clerks  were  in 
despair,  but  somehow  they  managed  to  evolve 
something  like  order  from  the  mass,  and  one  by 
one  the  applicants  were  admitted.  After  the  first 
half  dozen,  we  saw  that  they  could  be  divided  into 
three  classes,  —  the  men  who  knew  nothing  about 
science  and  nothing  about  any  kind  of  ink,  the  men 
who  knew  something  about  ink  but  nothing  about 
phosphorescent  ink,  and  the  men  who  had  been 
laboratory  assistants  to  various  research  followers. 
We  divided  them  rapidly  on  this  basis,  and  in  an 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  147 

hour  had  dismissed  all  the  members  of  classes  one 
and  two.  There  were  left  some  ten  others  who  had 
been  assistants  in  research  laboratories.  One  by 
one  we  examined  these.  They  had  worked  in 
various  lines;  the  first  five  in  chemical  researches; 
the  last  five  in  various  physical  and  engineering 
lines.  Try  as  we  might,  we  could  get  no  informa 
tion  from  any  of  them  with  regard  to  phosphores 
cent  ink,  or  with  regard  to  any  unusual  work  with 
radio-active  energy. 

The  last  man  had  been  dismissed  and  we  had  sat 
down  to  afternoon  tea  with  my  friend,  when  we 
heard  words  in  the  outer  office.  The  door  opened 
and  a  clerk  entered.  "  There's  one  man  more, 
sir,"  he  said,  "  I  told  him  he  was  too  late,  but  he's 
quite  insistent,  sir.  Will  you  care  to  see  him  ?  " 

"  Surely,"  I  said,  and  we  all  went  out  into  the 
outer  office.  A  tall,  bent  man  with  drooping 
mustache  stood  by  the  window.  His  gaunt  face 
and  threadbare  clothes,  neatly  brushed  though 
they  were,  showed  an  evident  lack  of  prosperity. 

"  I  ventured  to  insist,  sir,"  he  said,  addressing 
me,  "  as  I  have  had  quite  a  little  experience  in 
phosphorescent  ink.  It  was  only  a  year  ago  that  I 
served  in  a  laboratory  where  they  were  working 
with  it,  and  while  I  was  simply  working  under  the 
direction  of  other  people,  I  think  I  could  work  well 
along  that  line.  I  should  try  to  do  my  best.  I  need 
a  place." 


148  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

This  looked  more  like  the  real  thing.  I  waved 
towards  Tom.  He  could  run  this  end  of  the  in 
quiry  better  than  I. 

"  What's  your  name  ?  " 

"  George  Swenton." 

"  Where  did  you  have  your  experience  ?  "  ques 
tioned  Tom. 

"  With  Doctor  Heidenmuller,  in  his  private 
research  laboratory,"  answered  the  man. 

"  What  training  have  you  had  ?  " 

"  Not  much.  Only  a  few  courses  at  the  Uni 
versity  of  London.  I  was  only  the  second  assistant. 
I  worked  with  Doctor  Heidenmuller  for  four  years, 
until  he  died  six  months  ago.  I  have  had  no  place 
since,  sir." 

"  Did  your  employer  do  anything  with  radio 
active  work  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir.  He  died  that  way.  He  was  killed, 
paralysed,  you  might  say,  while  working  with 
something  in  a  locked  room.  He  always  did  that 
work  in  a  locked  room." 

"  What  were  the  circumstances  of  his  death  ?  " 
asked  Tom.  The  man  hesitated  and  looked  up 
somewhat  fearfully. 

"  I  don't  see  what  that  has  to  do  with  phos 
phorescent  ink,"  he  said.  "  The  police  went  all 
into  the  matter  of  his  death,  and  they  said  it  was 
just  death  by  paralysis."  He  stopped  and  shut 
his  mouth  hard.  Dorothy  broke  in. 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  149 

"  Mr.  Swenton,  here  is  the  state  of  affairs.  I 
don't  think  my  brother  has  made  it  quite  plain. 
We  are  more  interested  in  Dr.  Heidenmuller's 
radio-active  work  than  in  his  phosphorescent  paint. 
We  have  no  question  of  you  at  all.  We  do  not  want 
to  know  anything  which  is  not  entirely  right  for  us 
to  know,  but  we  do  want  to  know  all  you  feel  you 
can  rightly  tell  us  of  his  work.  I  feel  sure  that  my 
brother  will  be  ready  to  employ  you,  if  you  can 
show  that  you  have  done  this,  and  that  you  can  do 
what  he  wants." 

The  man's  face  cleared.  Dorothy's  words  were 
more  convincing  than  evidence.  He  reached  into  his 
pockets  and  drew  forth  a  bunch  of  papers,  which 
he  gave  to  Tom,  who  rapidly  ran  through  them. 

"  They're  all  right,"  he  said,  handing  them  back. 
"  Now,  if  I  give  you  twenty  pounds  a  month  for  two 
months,  will  that  be  all  right  ?  " 

A  dull  red  rose  in  the  man's  face  as  his  eyes 
lighted.  "  It  will  mean  everything  to  me,  sir,"  he 
said.  "  I've  got  a  wife  and  a  boy." 

Tom  drew  out  his  purse.  "  Here's  ten  pounds 
to  clinch  the  bargain,"  and  he  handed  him  two 
five  pound  notes. 

"  I  appreciate  that  more  than  I  can  say,"  said 
the  man,  the  tears  welling  up  into  his  eyes  with 
emotion.  "  Now,  what  did  you  want  to  know  ?  " 

!<  First  about  Dr.  Heidenmuller's  apparatus, 
and  then  about  his  death." 


150  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

"  I'm  afraid  I  can't  tell  you  much  of  the  appara 
tus.  I  never  even  saw  it.  It  was  in  an  inner  room 
to  which  the  doctor  had  the  only  key.  I  never  was 
in  the  room  till  the  day  we  broke  down  the  door 
and  took  him  out  dead.  There  was  no  apparatus 
there  then.  It  must  have  been  removed." 

"  How  did  the  room  look  ?  "  asked  Dorothy. 

"  It  was  all  bare.  Nothing  in  it  at  all,  except  the 
wooden  chair  where  he  sat  and  a  wooden  table." 

"  How  about  the  walls  and  ceiling  ?  " 

'  They  were  all  of  wood." 

"  How  about  the  locks  on  the  door  and  win 
dows  ? " 

*  That  was  a  funny  thing.  They  were  of  wood, 
too,  though  he  had  an  iron  key." 

'  What  did  the  doctor  have  in  his  pockets  ?  " 

"  Four  five-pound  notes,  no  change,  and  his 
watch  was  gone.  There  was  nothing  in  his  watch 
pocket  except  a  watch  crystal.  His  keys  were  gone, 
too,  and  only  the  ribbon  of  his  watch  was  left  lying 
on  the  floor." 

'  WTiat  did  the  doctors  say  about  his  death  ?  " 

"  Straight  paralysis,  they  said.  I  had  been 
away  for  three  days.  He  was  around  the  labora 
tory  for  one  day  after  I  left,  and  the  day  after  that 
he  must  have  died.  They  said  death  was  instan 
taneous." 

"  Did  the  doctor  leave  any  family  ?  " 

"  None." 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  151 

"  What  became  of  his  papers  ?  " 

"  Nobody  knows.  He  had  scarcely  any  friends. 
His  property  went  to  a  niece  in  Germany,  and  she 
came  over  to  hunt  for  papers,  but  she  found  none." 

"  What  became  of  the  other  assistant  ?  " 

"  He  went  back  to  Germany.  He  knew  nothing 
more  than  I  did,  however." 

"  Did  the  doctor  have  any  friends  who  came  to 
see  him  ?  " 

"  Very  few.  There  was  one  American  who  came 
to  see  him  now  and  then.  I  never  knew  his  name 
or  where  he  came  from,  nor  did  I  know  the  name 
of  the  two  or  three  German  friends  he  had." 

"  Anything  else  you  think  of?  "   asked  Tom. 

"  Nothing  else,  I'm  afraid,"  answered  Swenton. 

Tom  rose  from  his  chair  and  paced  up  and  down 
the  room,  his  hands  in  his  trousers  pockets,  his 
coat  flung  back.  As  he  walked,  Swenton,  watching 
him,  uttered  an  exclamation. 

"  I  can  tell  you  one  thing  about  the  American," 
he  said.  "  He  wore  a  peculiar  shaped  pin  on  his 
waistcoat,  such  as  you  wear  on  your  fob." 

Tom  pulled  up  his  fob  with  its  Theta  Sigma 
Rho  pin.  '  There's  a  good  clue,  anyway,"  he  said. 
"  He  must  be  a  Theta  Sigma  Rho  man." 

We  could  get  nothing  more  from  Swenton  and, 
after  directing  him  to  call  at  the  Savoy  the  next 
morning,  we  sent  him  away  happy.  As  we  came 
down  the  narrow  stairs  and  out  of  the  old  arched 


152  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

passages  of  the  Temple,  Dorothy  said,  "  Let's 
walk  up  the  embankment  to  the  hotel.  We  can 
think  better  that  way." 

We  had  gone  half  the  distance,  when  she 
stopped.  "  Suppose  we  talk  it  over  here,"  and  we 
stopped  beside  the  parapet  to  discuss  the  matter. 

"  As  I  make  it  out,"  said  Tom,  "  Heidenmuller 
was  the  man  who  discovered  the  secret  power 
which  has  been  destroying  the  battleships,  but  he 
can't  be  '  the  man,'  because  he  died  before  the 
first  ship  went  down.  Therefore  he  must  have 
passed  it  on  to  some  one  else  who  is  using  it, 
possibly  the  American  who  was  his  friend,  or  one 
of  the  Germans.  It  strikes  me  that  the  next  thing 
to  do  is  to  find  an  American  in  London  who  wears 
a  Theta  Sigma  Rho  pin." 

Instantly  I  startled  the  peaceful  calm  of  the  em 
bankment,  and  made  myself  an  object  of  suspicion 
to  the  neighboring  bobby,  by  leaping  in  the  air  and 
clapping  my  hands  together. 

"  Hamerly,  by  all  that's  holy  !"  I  cried.  "You 
remember  that  fellow  I  took  home  that  night  you 
arrived,  Dorothy  ?  " 

She  nodded,  her  eyes  gleaming  with  interest. 

"  He's  one  of  our  men,  and  he  had  an  acid  stain 
on  his  coat.  I'll  wager  you  he's  the  American.  I 
know  where  he  lives  and  I've  been  up  to  see  him 
once,  but  he  was  out.  I'll  go  up  there  right  after 
dinner." 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  153 

"  Do  you  think  he's  '  the  man  '  ?  "  asked  Tom 
in  excitement. 

"  I  don't  see  how  he  could  be,"  I  said  slowly. 
"  *  The  man  '  was  working  in  the  Channel,  when 
he  was  in  the  British  Museum.  But  he's  surely 
the  next  man  to  interview." 

By  eight  I  was  in  a  hansom  speeding  towards 
Half-Moon  Street.  "Was  Mr.  Hamerly  in?" 
He  was,  and  met  me  half  way  down  the  stairs. 
"  This  is  very  good  of  you,  Orrington,"  he  said. 
"  I  was  very  sorry  to  miss  your  last  call." 

For  some  time  we  talked  of  various  things,  of 
college  days,  and  of  affairs  at  home.  He  had  come 
over  as  a  Rhodes  scholar  and,  having  a  little  money 
left  him  while  at  Oxford,  had  gone  on  in  London 
after  graduation,  leading  a  life  of  quiet  study.  As 
we  talked,  I  sized  my  companion  up.  "  A  trifle 
grave  but,  after  all,  a  sane,  sterling  fellow,"  I 
decided,  and  I  put  my  errand  directly  to  him. 

"  You  knew  Dr.  Heidenmulier,"  I  said  abruptly. 

"  Yes,  poor  old  chap,"  he  said  calmly.  "  How 
did  you  happen  to  run  across  him  ?  " 

"  I  didn't  know  him  personally,"  I  said,  "  but 
I  knew  a  man  who  did  know  him.  One  of  our 
own  men,  Tom  Haldane  of  Columbia,  who  is  very 
greatly  interested  in  the  radio-active  work  which 
Dr.  Heidenmulier  was  carrying  on  before  his 
death,  is  here  with  me." 

Hamerly's  face  filled  with  eagerness.    His  whole 


154  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

attitude  changed.  "  Did  Haldane  know  what  he 
was  doing  ?  "  he  asked  breathlessly. 

"  Not  exactly,"  I  said. 

"  Well  if  he  knows  anything  about  it,  I  believe 
he  knows  one  of  the  greatest  things  in  modern 
science.  The  Doctor  never  told  me  anything  about 
it,  but  I  went  into  that  room  the  day  he  was  taken 
out  dead,  and  ever  since  that  time  I've  felt  that  he 
had  found  a  force  greater  than  anything  yet  ob 
tained,  and  that  that  force  killed  him."  He 
paused.  "  I've  never  said  that  to  anybody  else, 
but  Haldane  is  the  man  of  all  others  to  know  it, 
and  you  might  tell  him  that  from  me.  He  may  be 
able  to  use  it  somehow.  I  can't.  I  tried  my  best 
to  get  hold  of  some  clue  concerning  it  after  Heiden- 
muller's  death,  but  it  was  absolutely  useless.  Do 
you  think  that  Haldane  has  enough  data  to  work  it 
out?" 

"  Frankly,  I  don't  know,"  I  said. 

"  Except  for  two  things,  I  should  have  said  the 
secret  died  with  him,"  said  Hamerly  slowly. 

I  bent  forward  hanging  on  every  word. 

"  I've  never  spoken  of  either,  but,"  —  he  paused, 
"  you  know  this  man  who  is  trying  to  stop  all  war  ? " 

I  nodded. 

"  Well,  from  the  way  Heidenmuller's  room 
looked,  and  the  way  the  things  in  his  pockets  were 
left,  I've  wondered  if  the  man  had  not  his  secrets. 
Do  you  know,"  he  said,  leaning  forward,  "  there 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  155 

were  no  eyelets  in  his  shoes  when  he  was  found. 
The  crimps  were  in  the  leather  of  the  strings,  but 
the  metal  ends  were  gone.  The  lenses  of  his  spec 
tacles,  without  any  mounting,  were  lying  on  the 
floor.  The  very  filling  of  his  teeth  had  gone.  Why 
couldn't  a  battleship  disappear  into  its  elemental 
parts  the  same  way,  all  its  living  contents  paralyzed 
by  the  shock,  dying  instantly  and  sinking  below 
the  waves.  I've  wondered  more  than  once  if  the 
government  sent  down  divers  in  Portsmouth  har 
bor  and  if  they  did,  what  they  found." 

There  was  just  one  thing  to  do.  He  held  as 
much  as  we  did  of  the  secret.  Perhaps  he  knew 
more.  From  beginning  to  end,  I  told  the  whole 
story  of  our  search.  As  I  went  on,  he  grew  more 
and  more  excited.  As  I  paused  towards  the  end, 
he  broke  in. 

"  The  second  thing  fits  in  here,  the  reason  why 
I  believe  the  secret  might  not  be  lost.  One  day 
as  I  went  into  the  laboratory,  the  Doctor's  as 
sistant  told  me  that  he  was  in  the  inner  room, 
but  had  left  word  for  me  to  wait.  I  was  extremely 
curious  for  no  one  had  ever  entered  that  inner  room 
to  my  knowledge.  The  door  opened  at  last,  and  a 
tall,  dark  man,  an  American  I  should  say,  came  out 
of  that  closed  room  with  the  doctor.  I  never  saw 
him  before  or  since.  Now,  is  he  the  man  who  got 
the  secret,  and  with  it  is  trying  to  stop  all  war  ?  " 

I  was  out  of  my  seat  with  excitement.     "  I  be- 


156  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

lieve  he  is.  Would  you  know  him  if  you  saw  his 
photograph  ?  " 

"  Surely,"  said  Hamerly. 

I  rose  to  go. 

"  Hold  on,"  exclaimed  Hamerly,  "  I  haven't 
told  you  half  yet." 

"  Go  on,"  I  said  eagerly,  seating  myself  once 
more. 

"That  first  day,  after  I  had  made  a  rough  exami 
nation,  I  started  to  go  over  the  inner  room  inch  by 
inch.  At  first  I  thought  it  was  perfectly  insulated 
by  wood.  There  wasn't  a  piece  of  metal  nor  even  a 
piece  of  glass  in  it.  Where  the  incandescent  light 
came  down,  hung  a  bit  of  twisted  cord,  without  a 
scrap  of  metal  remaining.  There  was  a  length  of 
insulating  cloth,  minus  the  wire  it  covered,  lying 
on  the  floor.  I  went  round  and  round,  hunting 
for  metal,  but  I  could  find  none.  There  was  a 
wooden  shutter  over  the  window,  and  no  glass.  I 
closed  the  door  and  walked  over  every  inch  of  the 
room,  trying  to  find  any  break  whatsoever  in  the 
insulation.  The  only  thing  I  could  find  was  a 
faint  glimmer,  where  the  wooden  window  shutter 
did  not  quite  join.  I  went  outside  and  studied 
the  place  from  the  street.  There  was  no  ap 
pearance  of  anything  unusual  on  the  wall  of 
the  laboratory,  excepting  that  the  boarded  win 
dow  of  the  wooden  room  looked  out  like  a  rect 
angular  unseeing  eye.  I  crossed  to  the  sidewalk 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  157 

just  before  the  laboratory,  and  looked  up  and 
down  the  opposite  wall.  There  was  nothing  un 
usual  on  that  side,  save  two  square  places,  side 
by  side  on  the  painted  wall,  which  looked  fresher 
than  the  wall  around.  I  examined  them  more 
carefully,  crossed  and  recrossed.  The  two  spots 
were  almost  exactly  opposite  the  lower  end  of  the 
shuttered  window  where  I  had  seen  a  slight  chink 
of  light,  the  only  place  where  the  insulation  of  wood 
was  broken.  I  went  up  the  stairs  of  the  house 
opposite.  It  was  a  little  tea  shop.  A  wooden  sign 
leaned  against  the  wall  beside  the  door.  I  picked  it 
up.  The  screw  holes  and  the  whiter  paint  where 
the  hinges  had  lain  showed  clear,  but  there  was  no 
metal  about  it.  The  proprietress  bustled  up  to 
take  my  order  and,  as  she  saw  me  looking  at  the 
sign,  broke  into  voluble  explanation.  *  I  should 
have  put  the  sign  back  in  its  place,  sir,  but  fairly 
didn't  dare  to.  It  was  a  week  come  Tuesday  when 
it  fell.  It's  God's  own  mercy  there  wasn't  some 
body  killed,  sir.  And  the  strangest  thing,  too.  I 
couldn't  find  sight  nor  smell  of  the  hinges  and  the 
rod  where  it  hung.  It  must  have  pulled  out  of  the 
wall,  and  somebody  have  picked  up  the  iron,  be 
fore  I  could  get  down,  sir.  Now  isn't  that  strange, 
sir  ? ' 

"  It  had  fallen  the  day  that  Heidenmuller  died. 

"  I  went  back  into  the  laboratory  and  hunted 
over  every  square  inch  of  it,  but  I  found  nothing. 


158  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

I  stood  there  puzzling.  If  there  had  been  some 
power  that  had  killed  Heidenmuller,  there  must 
have  been  some  material  substance  in  which  it  was 
kept.  I  had  made  the  most  careful  inquiries  about 
the  things  on  his  person  and  in  the  room.  No  one 
could  tell  me  anything.  Swenton  and  Griegen,  the 
two  assistants,  were  neither  of  them  there,  but  the 
first  one  who  had  entered  the  room  when  the 
doctor's  body  was  found  was  a  sharp-faced  lad 
who  acted  as  janitor.  I  had  questioned  him 
thoroughly,  as  I  thought,  but  I  resolved  to  see  if 
he  did  not  know  more.  I  went  to  him  again,  and  a 
lucky  inspiration  came  to  me.  Holding  a  sovereign 
in  my  hand  I  remarked  casually,  '  If  there  is  any 
little  personal  memento  of  the  doctor  left,  I  should 
like  very  much  to  have  it.'  The  narrow  eyes  of  the 
lad  gleamed.  He  thrust  his  hand  into  his  pocket, 
and  drew  out  what  was  apparently  a  leather 
cigarette  case,  snatched  the  sovereign,  and  handed 
me  the  case.  *  Found  h'it  h'on  the  floor,  h'after 
we  took  'im  h'out,'  he  mumbled.  '  H'it's  the  h'only 
think  was  there.' ' 

Hamerly  rose  as  he  spoke  and  walked  to  his  desk. 
I  followed,  my  heart  pulsating  with  great  leaps. 
He  took  from  a  drawer  what  seemed  to  be  a  pig 
skin  cigarette  case,  cut  in  half.  Hamerly  held  the 
two  sections  out  on  his  hand.  At  the  top  was  a 
queerly  constructed  valve,  —  the  case  was  lined 
with  a  black  substance  that  looked  like  rubber. 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  159 

"  I  believe,"  said  Hamerly  gravely,  "  that  in  this 
case  there  was  some  terrifically  powerful  substance, 
which  killed  Heidenmuller  and  destroyed  all  the 
metal  in  the  wooden  room,  by  escaping  through 
the  accidentally  opened  valve.  I  believe  the  man 
who  is  trying  to  stop  all  war  uses  the  same  dread 
agent.  I  believe,  once  the  substance  escapes  and 
does  its  work,  that  it  turns  to  a  harmless  gas,  as 
hydrogen,  once  it  has  been  exploded  with  oxygen, 
forms  harmless  water,  or  as  the  carbon  of  coal, 
which  has  blazed  when  united  with  the  oxygen  of 
the  air  becomes,  after  that  union,  inert  carbon 
dioxide.  You  know,  now,  all  I  know.  I've  done 
all  I  could  with  it,"  he  ended,  "  Take  it  to  Hal- 
dane." 

Dazed  with  the  story,  I  could  only  thank  him 
and  take  the  case.  We  parted  with  a  word  of  good 
will,  and  assurance  of  secrecy  on  his  side. 


CHAPTER   XII 

I  THREW  up  my  curtain  next  morning  to  find 
London  settling  down  into  a  sea  of  fog.  Already 
the  Thames  was  wholly  hidden,  and  the  water  side 
of  the  embankment  showed  only  faint,  twinkling 
lights,  just  on  the  point  of  complete  extinguishment. 
The  caped  policeman,  the  hurrying  butcher's  boy, 
the  laborers  and  the  charwomen  passing  through 
the  garden  below,  had  all  completely  lost  their 
individuality  and  became,  in  place  of  common 
London  types,  misty  twentieth  century  Niobes. 
But  dismal  though  it  was  without,  my  spirits  were 
cheerful  enough  within  as  I  started  down  to  meet 
Tom  and  Dorothy. 

We  were  half  through  breakfast  when  Ham- 
erly's  card  was  brought  in,  to  be  followed  a  few 
moments  later  by  the  man  himself.  I  looked  with 
delighted  interest  at  the  involuntary  start  that  he 
gave  when  he  met  Dorothy.  How  I  wish  I  might 
rightly  describe  her  as  she  stood  there,  lighting  by 
her  very  presence  the  gray  interior  of  the  dining- 
room,  shrouded  as  it  was  by  the  "  London  particu 
lar."  Everything  else  was  gloom,  save  in  the  circle 
where  Dorothy  gave  the  radiance  of  her  presence. 

160 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  161 

Hamerly's  silent  tribute  was  no  more  than  she 
exacted  from  all  who  met  her.  Again  and  again  I 
marvelled  at  my  audacity  in  believing  I  might  have 
this  incarnation  of  youth,  of  power,  and  beauty  for 
my  own. 

Such  thoughts  raced  through  my  head  as  I  sat 
watching  the  swift  interchange  of  question  and 
answer  between  Tom,  Dorothy  and  Hamerly.  In 
response  to  their  inquiries,  Hamerly  related  the 
story  he  had  told  me  the  day  before,  and  as  he 
ended,  asked,  "  What  are  you  going  to  do  next  ? 
How  are  you  planning  to  use  your  man  Swenton  ?  " 

Dorothy  answered  for  Tom  and  myself.  "  We 
are  going  straight  to  Dr.  Heidenmuller's  laboratory, 
taking  Swenton  along.  I  want  to  have  the  whole 
scene  before  my  eyes  to  see  what  can  be  made  out 
of  it.  We  should  be  very  glad  to  have  you  come 
with  us,  Mr.  Hamerly." 

Tom  bent  towards  me  with  a  look  of  mock 
anguish  on  his  brow.  "  How  I  had  hoped  for  a 
peaceful  Sunday  morning,"  he  said,  in  a  low 
aside,  "  and  now  we've  got  to  plunge  out  into  a 
nasty  fog,  and  chase  all  over  this  benighted  city. 
Never  mind,  I  might  have  known.  I  never  can 
have  my  own  way." 

Despite  his  plaint,  Tom  was  the  first  one  ready, 
as,  clothed  in  raincoat  and  slouch  hat,  our  little 
party  gathered  under  the  shelter  of  the  glass 
awning  inside  the  court. 


162  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

The  massive  dignity  of  the  carriage  porter, 
shrouded  in  a  white  glistening  rubber  coat,  loomed 
bulkier  than  ever,  as,  with  an  elephantine  grace, 
he  whistled  shrilly  twice.  Out  of  a  dim  back 
ground  two  hansoms  dashed  into  the  circle  of 
light  where  the  arcs  of  the  entrance  fought  bravely 
against  the  encroaching  fog. 

"  I'm  going  with  Mr.  Hamerly,"  said  Tom. 
"  You  take  Dorothy  in  the  other  hansom,  Jim,  and 
drive  straight.  We'll  pick  up  Swenton  on  the  way. 
Give  the  address,  will  you,  Hamerly  ?  " 

"  Old  Jewry,  third  alley,  this  side  of  Gresham 
Street,"  said  Hamerly,  and  the  cabbies  nodded. 

Dorothy  stepped  lightly  in  before  I  could  lend 
my  aid.  I  followed,  the  porter  closed  the  curtaining 
doors,  pulled  up  the  window,  and  we  were  off, 
embarked  on  a  sea  of  fog.  As  I  looked  out,  I 
thought  I  saw  Tom  speaking  to  our  driver,  but  I 
could  not  be  sure. 

"  Old  Jewry,"  said  Dorothy  dreamily.  "  How 
delightfully  Dickensonian.  I  haven't  an  idea  where 
it  can  be,  and  I  don't  want  to  know.  It's  much 
more  fun  plunging  off  into  an  unknown  world  of 
adventure  in  the  good  ship  Hansom  Cab." 

I  happened  to  have  a  strong  idea  where  the 
Old  Jewry  was,  but  some  guardian  angel  kept  me 
from  speaking.  Never  before  had  I  possessed  all 
that  was  precious  to  me  in  life  in  the  small  capacity 
of  a  hansom  cab.  Outside  passed  slowly  by  a  dim 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  163 

neutral  city,  into  which  street  lamps  Cast  pointed 
lines  of  light  in  a  vain  endeavor  to  pierce  the  gloom, 
where  ghosts,  appearing  suddenly  under  our  horses 
feet,  disappeared  quite  as  suddenly  into  the  blan 
keting  darkness,  and  where  now  and  then  a  motor 
bus  came  looming  past  us,  like  some  high-pooped 
caravel  of  Spain.  Now  and  again  we  stopped. 
Now  and  again  we  crept  at  a  foot  pace  through 
what  seemed  at  one  and  the  same  time  an  eternity 
of  joy  and  a  fleeting  moment  of  happiness.  Doro 
thy  lay  back  against  the  cushioned  corner,  taking 
in  the  experience  to  the  utmost.  We  spoke  but 
seldom.  I  proffered  no  suggestions.  It  was  enough 
for  me  to  sit  beside  her,  to  know  the  rough  cloth 
of  her  tweed  ulster  touched  my  hand,  to  feel 
through  every  inmost  fibre  of  my  being  her  dear 
and  sweet  proximity.  On  and  on  we  travelled, 
till  at  length  I  came  to  the  sudden  realization  that, 
according  to  all  my  impressions,  we  should  have 
been  at  our  destination  long  before.  I  looked  out 
carefully  for  the  first  time.  The  fog  was  as  dense 
as  ever.  I  knew  nothing  of  my  whereabouts. 
Saying  no  word  to  Dorothy,  I  kept  on  trying  to 
pierce  the  wall  of  cloud,  as  a  hundred  questions 
began  to  spring  up  in  my  brain.  Was  there  some 
thing  queer  in  this  ?  Was  the  driver  lost,  or  was 
he  purposely  taking  us  in  some  dangerous  direction  ? 
It  did  not  matter,  anyway.  As  I  looked  at  Dorothy, 
I  knew  I  could  protect  her  against  a  thousand 


164  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

perils,  and  I  felt  a  warm  glow  of  power,  of  courage 
springing  within  my  soul.  Just  then  I  saw  some 
arc  lights  ahead,  and  I  peered  yet  more  carefully. 
Under  them  the  fog  seemed  less  dense,  and  when 
a  brass  plate  showed  I  scanned  it  eagerly.  "  Char 
terhouse."  I  could  read  no  more,  but  that  told  me 
where  I  was.  In  Charterhouse  Square,  beyond 
Smithfield,  almost  to  Clerkenwell  Road.  We  had 
gone  far  out  of  our  way,  while  I  had  been  dreaming. 
I  threw  up  the  driver's  door.  '  You  must  be  out 
of  your  way,"  I  cried. 

"  H'l  couldn't  do  better,  sir,"  came  the  answer. 
"  I  'ad  to  come  round,  I'm  'eaded  straight  for  the 
h'old  Jewry,  sir." 

Perhaps  there  was  a  note  of  laughter  in  the  man's 
voice,  certainly  there  was  nothing  sinister.  I  re 
called  the  glimpse  I  had  caught  of  Tom  beside  the 
cab  at  the  Savoy,  and,  my  qualms  ceasing,  I  in 
wardly  blessed  that  mischievous  spirit. 

Dorothy  looked  up  as  I  spoke.  "  Is  it  all  right, 
Jim  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  It  is  perfectly  all  right,"  I  answered,  and  she 
fell  back  into  her  happy  meditation,  while  I  in 
wardly  made  still  more  remarks  on  her  ingenious 
brother.  Silent  and  happy  we  went  on,  my  mind 
quite  at  rest  now,  and  not  in  the  least  anxious  to 
come  to  the  end.  The  cab  stopped  and  the  little 
door  at  the  top  opened  with  a  click. 
'  This  is  the  place,  sir." 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  165 

I  jumped  out  and  looked  around.  No  cab  in 
sight.  "Well,"  I  said  to  Dorothy,  "here's  a  pretty 
go.  Nobody  in  sight,  and  I  don't  know  which  is 
the  house." 

Without  a  word,  Dorothy  leaned  forward  and 
whistled  a  single  bar.  Out  of  the  fog  came  the 
notes  repeated,  and  a  moment  later  across  the 
street  came  Tom. 

"  Oh,  you've  reached  here  finally,  have  you  ?  " 
said  he,  a  trace  sarcastically.  "  I  thought  you'd 
never  arrive;  I  couldn't  imagine  what  kept  you." 

As  he  spoke,  I  heard  a  sort  of  choked  gasp  from 
the  top  of  the  hansom,  but  fortunately  Dorothy's 
suspicions  were  not  aroused. 

"  It  hasn't  seemed  so  very  long,"  she  answered 
simply,  to  which  Tom  responded,  "  Oh,  really, 
hasn't  it  ?"  as  he  took  her  arm  to  lead  her  across  the 
street.  He  called  back  to  our  cabby  as  we  left, 
"  Drive  forward  a  little,  and  you'll  find  a  sort  of 
shelter  where  you  can  wait.  The  other  cab's  there." 

"  Right,  sir,"  came  the  reply,  and  we  heard  the 
slow  movement  of  his  disappearing  wheels,  as  we 
three  were  left  in  the  ocean  of  fog. 

"  Swenton's  hunting  up  the  caretaker,"  said 
Tom.  "Hamerly  and  I  have  been  waiting  for  him 
to  come  back.  The  old  rooms  are  locked  up 
tight." 

We  found  Hamerly  in  a  vestibule  where  a  single 
gas  lamp  flickered,  and,  as  we  waited,  we  fell  to 


166  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

talking  in  low  tones.  The  mist  seemed  to  bring  our 
voices  to  a  minor  key.  Perhaps  ten  minutes  had 
passed,  when  the  door  opened,  and  Swenton 
entered,  accompanied  by  a  man  in  a  coarse  ticking 
apron. 

"  This  is  the  caretaker,  sir,"  he  began,  bowing 
to  Dorothy  and  me.  "  He  refused  to  let  me  in  to 
get  my  things.  Says  the  laboratory  was  left  after 
Dr.  Heidenmuller's  death  to  another  chemist,  a 
gentlemen  who  bought  all  the  doctor's  stuff  from 
the  heirs.  He  was  there,  off  and  on,  for  a  little 
while,  but  he  went  away  quite  a  long  time  ago,  — 
went  one  night  suddenly  and  never  came  back. 
This  man  says  the  agents  won't  allow  anybody  in. 
I  brought  him  here,  so  you  could  talk  to  him  if  you 
wished." 

The  caretaker  stood  silent  and  sullen  as  Swenton 
spoke,  his  hands  deep  in  the  front  pockets  of  his 
apron. 

"  I  do  want  to  speak  with  him,"  said  Tom 
briefly.  "  Come  here,"  and  he  led  the  way  apart, 
the  caretaker  following.  A  moment's  conversation 
was  broken  only  by  a  golden  clink,  accompanied  by 
the  jingle  of  keys,  after  which  the  caretaker  dis 
appeared,  and  Tom  turned  back  to  us. 

"  I  have  here,"  he  said  mysteriously,  "  a  bunch  of 
keys  which  I  strangely  found  on  the  floor  in  the 
rear  of  this  hall.  Suppose  we  ascend  to  the  top 
floor  and  see  if  they  will  work  there." 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  167 

Dorothy's  face  was  clouded  as  Tom  came  up  to 
the  spot  where  we  were  standing  a  little  apart, 
Hamerly  and  Swenton  had  already  started  up  the 
stairs.  "  I'm  not  sure  that  you  are  doing  right  in 
this,  Tom,"  said  Dorothy  swiftly,  in  a  low  voice. 
"  I  don't  like  to  bribe  a  servant  to  let  us  into  a 
place  where  we  don't  belong." 

Tom's  face  became  serious  in  a  minute.  "  I 
don't  like  it  either,  Dorothy,"  he  answered  gravely, 
"  but  I'm  going  to  do  it.  Do  you  remember  the 
little  German  middy  lying  down  at  the  bottom  ? 
As  long  as  the  man  who  is  trying  to  stop  all  war  is 
at  large  there  are  thousands  of  men  in  hourly  peril. 
I  honestly  believe  we  are  the  only  ones  who  can  run 
the  man  down.  I  am  convinced  we  shall  be  wholly 
justified  in  such  action." 

Dorothy  stood  for  a  moment  in  silent  thought. 
"  I  think  you  are  right,  Tom,"  she  said  quietly.  "  In 
this  case  I  hope  and  believe  the  end  will  justify  the 
means.  We  must  find  '  the  man.'  Go  ahead." 

Stumbling  through  the  darkness,  we  reached  the 
top,  where  the  flame  of  a  match  showed  a  strong 
oak  door  with  two  Yale  locks  upon  it.  Tom  had 
the  keys  in  immediately  and  threw  the  door  open. 
Once  within,  Swenton  passed  with  accustomed 
step  to  the  wall,  turned  a  switch,  and  incandescents 
lighted  the  whole  place. 

We  were  in  a  sort  of  anteroom,  with  desks  and 
chairs.  '  The  outer  office,"  said  Swenton  briefly. 


168  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

We  passed  through  an  inner  door.  "  The  main 
laboratory,"  remarked  Swenton.  This  was  similar 
to  any  other  laboratory.  A  good  sized  motor 
generator  in  one  corner,  covered  by  a  rubber  sheet, 
a  couple  of  tile-topped  tables,  a  set  of  shelves  on  one 
side,  filled  with  labelled  reagent  bottles,  a  set  of 
glass  cases,  supported  on  a  base  filled  with 
drawers,  on  the  other.  In  the  cabinets  were  glass 
ware  and  apparatus  of  various  sorts.  Tom  started 
for  the  case,  but  Dorothy  laid  a  restraining  hand 
on  his  arm. 

"  Wait  till  we  have  seen  it  all.  Then  we'll  go 
over  the  whole,  piece  by  piece." 

Tom  nodded,  and  we  went  on.  There  were 
three  doors  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  wall.  Swen 
ton  passed  to  the  first  and  opened  it.  '  The  store 
room,"  he  explained.  Within  were  wooden  cases 
of  glassware,  large  carboys  of  acid,  glass  tubing  on 
racks  and  wire  on  spools.  In  one  corner  was 
apparently  a  hospital  for  broken  or  disused  pieces 
of  apparatus.  We  turned  from  this  to  the  second 
door.  '  The  balance  room,"  said  Swenton,  as  he 
threw  open  the  portal.  Three  balances  in  polished 
wood  and  shining  glass  met  our  eyes.  There  was 
nothing  else  in  the  room.  Swenton  opened  a  third 
door.  '  The  spectroscope  room,"  he  said.  "  Be 
yond  is  the  doctor's  private  laboratory."  A  big 
piece  of  apparatus  on  the  table  was  covered  with  a 
green  cloth.  Beyond  was  a  wooden  door.  Despite 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  169 

myself,  I  felt  a  queer,  nervous  tremor  pass  over  my 
frame,  as  I  looked  at  the  commonplace  wooden 
panels,  behind  which  Dr.  Heidenmuller  had  sat 
dead,  killed  by  the  same  mysterious  power  which 
had  slain  the  men  I  had  seen  lying  quietly  at  the 
bottom  of  Porstmouth  Harbor.  Tom  and  Ham- 
erly  were  as  keen  as  hounds  on  a  scent,  Swenton 
interested  but  more  indifferent,  Dorothy  pale,  her 
eyes  glittering  with  excitement.  Hamerly  reached 
the  door  first,  tried  it  and  it  swung  back.  The 
incandescent  had  not  been  turned  on  in  the 
spectroscope  room,  and  the  only  light  which  entered 
was  the  golden  lane,  which  came  through  from  the 
main  laboratory.  It  seemed  like  a  stage  setting. 
The  light  fell  on  a  heavy  wooden  table  and  a 
couple  of  Windsor  chairs.  The  rest  was  but  faintly 
outlined. 

A  moment's  pause  on  the  threshold,  as  if  we 
expected  to  meet  some  horror,  we  knew  not  what, 
and  then  we  rushed  in  together.  There  was  noth 
ing  to  be  seen.  Wood  panelled  walls;  windows 
sealed  by  wooden  shutters;  the  wooden  table  and 
the  two  wooden  chairs;  that  was  all.  We  stood 
there  silent,  until  Tom  broke  the  quiet. 

"  Nothing  to  do  but  to  Sherlock  Holmes  it,"  he 
said.  [<  We  have  all  day  to  run  this  thing  down. 
Swenton,  there's  a  piece  of  apparatus  here  that  I 
need.  The  doctor  may  never  have  had  it  outside 
his  room  as  a  whole,  yet  we  may  find  traces  of  it  in 


170  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

the  laboratory  or  the  storeroom.  Are  you  willing 
to  help  us  hunt  ?  " 

"  I  should  be  the  most  ungrateful  man  living,  sir, 
if  I  were  not,"  said  Swenton  earnestly.  "  I  owe 
my  wife's  life  to  you  and  Miss  Haldane."  He 
glanced  at  Dorothy. 

"  So  that's  where  you  have  been  the  last  two 
mornings,"  I  whispered  to  her,  as  Tom  went  on. 

"  I  found  them  just  coming  out  of  great  distress," 
she  answered  simply;  "  I  am  so  glad  I  was  able  to 
help." 

"  Now,"  cried  Tom,  "  let's  sit  down  to  another 
counsel  of  war.  Come  out  into  the  outer  laboratory 
and  we'll  talk  it  all  over." 

The  drawn  shades,  the  bright  gleam  of  the 
laboratory  lamps  reflected  back  from  polished 
tile  and  cabinet  door,  gave  a  distinctly  cheerful 
aspect  to  the  scene  as  we  settled  down. 

"  I  have  been  thinking  this  matter  over  care 
fully  for  some  time,"  began  Hamerly,  in  his  rather 
careful  tones,  once  we  were  seated,  "  and  if  you  do 
not  object  I  should  like  to  present  my  theories." 

"  Go  right  ahead,"  said  Tom. 

Hamerly  went  on  somewhat  thoughtfully.  "  I 
think  you  are  wrong  in  saying  we  ought  to  follow 
the  methods  of  Sherlock  Holmes.  We  ought  rather 
to  follow  Dupin,  Poe's  detective,  the  man  who 
preceded  Sherlock  Holmes.  Try  to  reason  out 
what  the  doctor  would  have  on  hand  with  regard  to 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  171 

the  power,  and  where  he  would  have  it.  Try  to 
analyze  the  action  of  his  brain,  rather  than  hunt  for 
minute  data.  Let's  see  what  we  know  about  Dr. 
Heidenmuller.  He  was  a  German  of  the  most 
typical  student  type.  That  means  he  would  never 
do  anything  without  putting  it  down  on  paper.  He 
had  every  desire  to  keep  what  he  was  doing  from 
those  around  him.  That  is  evident  from  the  fact 
that  Swenton  never  knew  anything  about  the  in 
terior  of  this  room.  If  the  doctor  made  notes,  as  I 
believe  he  must  have  done,  he  would  have  wanted 
them  within  reach.  So  he  must  have  had  them  in 
this  room.  He  was  a  brilliant  scientist,  therefore 
he  would  not  by  preference  have  used  any  of  the 
ordinary  methods  of  concealment.  His  notes  and 
apparatus  were  likely  to  take  up  a  comparatively 
large  amount  of  space,  so  that  we  are  impelled  to 
the  definite  conclusion  that  there  is  a  concealed 
closet  somewhere  in  that  inner  chamber.  If  we 
could  take  the  time  to  remove  the  whole  of  the 
walls,  and  could  get  permission  to  do  so,  we  could, 
I  believe,  find  the  hiding  place,  but  that  would 
involve  time,  expense,  and  running  down  the  people 
who  at  present  control  the  place  and  own  the 
apparatus.  I  strongly  question  whether  that 
would  be  worth  while." 

"  No,"  said  Tom,  "  I  don't  believe  it  would.  If 
there  were  any  chance  of  the  man  who  has  hired 
this  place  being  the  man  we  are  after,  Fd  say  go  for 


172  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

him  at  any  cost,  but  I  don't  believe  there's  one 
chance  in  a  thousand  that  it  is.  He's  too  sharp  to 
stay  around  where  Dr.  Heidenmuller  died  under 
such  peculiar  circumstances." 

"  I  agree  to  that,"  said  Hamerly. 

"  And  I,  too,"  I  chimed  in. 

Dorothy  said  nothing,  but  as  I  watched  her,  I 
saw  the  rose  of  her  cheeks  growing  deeper,  and 
that  peculiar  change  in  her  eye  that  showed  she  had 
already  leaped  beyond  the  reasoning  of  the  others 
and  grasped  the  answer  by  intuition.  "  One  ques 
tion  first,"  she  began,  "  Mr.  Swenton,  did  the 
doctor  leave  the  door  to  the  spectroscope  room 
open  when  he  went  into  his  private  room  ?  " 

"  No,"  answered  Swenton  slowly,  "  he  would 
go  into  the  spectroscope  room,  lock  that  door,  and 
then  you  could  hear  the  inner  door  open  and  shut. 
Sometimes  he  would  not  come  out  again,  but  I 
have  often  heard  him  come  out  into  the  anteroom 
about  three  or  four  minutes  after  he  went  in,  stay 
there  for  a  minute  or  two,  then  go  in  again  and 
come  out  once  more.  After  that  he  would  be  shut 
up  there  for  hours  together." 

"  That  settles  it,"  cried  Dorothy.  "  I'm  sure  I 
know  how  he  opened  his  secret  closet  or  closets. 
You  remember  the  insulated  wire  covering  they 
found,  when  they  came  in  after  the  doctor's 
death." 

We  nodded  eagerly. 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  173 

"  That  was  the  winding  of  an  electro-magnet. 
He  attached  it  to  the  long  flexible  cord  of  that  in 
candescent  light  socket  in  the  anteroom,  took  it  in, 
opened  his  closets,  brought  it  out  again,  and  went 
back.  See  if  you  can  find  an  electro-magnet  in  the 
cases  or  the  storeroom,  and  we'll  open  things  up." 

Scarcely  were  the  words  out  of  her  mouth,  before 
Swenton  had  hurried  to  a  drawer,  and  pulled  out 
three  small  electro-magnets,  all  of  the  same  size. 

"  Here  are  the  only  ones  I  know  of,  in  the 
laboratory,"  he  exclaimed.  "  I  can  connect  one  of 
them  with  the  flexible  cord  in  a  minute.  We  shall 
want  more  light,  though.  If  one  of  you  gentlemen 
will  get  another  connector  and  fix  it  to  a  socket, 
I'll  fit  the  magnet.  You'll  find  some  connectors 
for  that  size  socket  in  the  storeroom,  I'm  sure." 

With  four  practised  hands  at  work,  it  was  scarce 
ten  minutes  before  an  incandescent  stood  on  the 
table  in  the  inner  room,  while  we  had  an  electric 
magnet  connected  to  a  long  flexible  cord  which 
brought  current  from  an  incandescent  light  socket 
in  the  next  room.  Dorothy  stood  in  the  centre, 
once  more  in  command. 

"  I  believe  it's  under  one  of  those  pegs,"  she 
said.  "  See  what's  under  them." 

Round  and  round  the  room  we  went,  pulling  at 
every  peg  that  joined  the  sealed  walls.  Under  each 
was  a  nail.  Tom  picked  up  one  of  the  pegs  as  we 
drew  it  forth. 


174  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

"  Humph  !  "  he  cried.  "  Insulated  by  caema. 
That  explains  why  the  nails  were  left.  What  a 
careful  job  this  was,  anyway." 

Hamerly  and  Swenton  nodded.  I  started  to  ask 
what  caema  was,  but  I  was  pulling  on  a  particu 
larly  refractory  peg  just  then  and  let  it  go.  The 
word  stuck  fast  in  my  memory,  however.  It  was 
the  same  one  I  had  seen  in  Tom's  book  on  our 
journey  up  from  Portsmouth.  As  each  peg  came 
out,  the  little  electro-magnet  was  brought  up  to 
the  hole  and  its  action  watched.  Not  a  nail  stirred. 
We  had  gone  around  three  sides  of  the  room,  when 
Tom  called  out,  "This  peg  came  easily.  Bring  over 
the  magnet." 

Before  I  could  bring  the  magnet  within  an  inch 
of  the  hole,  the  nail  within  sprang  out  and  attached 
itself  to  the  magnet,  just  as  a  needle  springs  up  and 
clings  to  the  horseshoe  magnet  of  a  child.  As  it 
sprung,  the  whole  panel,  four  feet  high  and  three 
feet  across,  opened  on  easy  hinges  and  swung  out 
ward,  showing  a  small  inner  door.  Tom  gave  a 
long,  low  whistle.  "  Right  again,  sister,"  he  re 
marked.  "  What  should  we  do  without  you  ?  " 

The  stout  oak  door,  strong  as  it  was,  proved 
no  obstacle  to  our  attack,  and  readily  swung 
outward.  Stooping,  we  peered  within.  Empty 
shelves  on  one  side.  A  row  of  drawers  on  the 
other.  One  by  one  we  drew  the  drawers  from 
their  places.  Every  one  was  empty.  From  top 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  175 

to  bottom  of  the  recess  we  searched,  but  without 
avail.  Finally  we  straightened  up  with  blank 
faces. 

"  There  must  have  been  something  there,"  said 
Dorothy  slowly. 

"  Hang  it,"  ejaculated  Tom,  "  I  know  there 
was.  If  you  want  to  know  my  real  opinion,  there 
has  been  somebody  here  ahead  of  us.  I  don't 
believe  we'll  find  a  thing." 

We  did  not,  and  the  last  inspection  over,  we  were 
ready  to  take  our  leave,  when  Tom  broke  in. 

"  One  last  thing,"  he  said ;  "  I  want  to  see  how 
that  incandescent  light  in  the  ceiling  can  be  con 
nected  without  outside  metal.  That  reflector,  by 
the  way,  looks  like  clear  glass,  but  it  must  have 
some  reflecting  power." 

He  jumped  lightly  to  a  chair,  thence  to  the  table, 
and  turned  to  look  through  the  clear  glass  of  the 
big  hemispherical  shade,  which  had  guarded  the 
incandescent  in  the  ceiling. 

"  Oh,  I  say,"  he  exclaimed,  "  here's  a  most 
extraordinary  thing.  Everything  seen  through 
this  is  bent  double.  Here's  the  biggest  refraction  I 
ever  saw.  Can  it  be  the  glass,  or  something  inside 
of  it  ?  This  thing  is  hermetically  sealed  above. 
Do  you  know,  I  believe  we've  got  one  solution  of 
the  mystery  here." 

We  all  stood  looking  eagerly  up  at  him,  as  he 
gazed  through  the  globe. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

WITH  a  quick  spring,  Dorothy  was  first  on  a 
chair,  and  then  on  the  table  beside  her  brother. 
She  bent  to  inspect  the  crystal  hemisphere,  looked 
at  it  from  various  points,  and  then  both  of  them 
began  examining  the  construction  of  the  lamp 
shade. 

"  It's  hermetically  sealed  above  ?  "  said  Tom 
finally,  a  note  of  inquiry  in  his  voice. 

"  It  seems  to  be,"  answered  Dorothy  briefly. 
"  Tom,  jump  down,  will  you,  and  let  Mr.  Hamerly 
come  up  here.  Jim,  will  you  and  Mr.  Swenton  see 
if  you  can  find  another  lamp  shade  like  this  in  the 
storeroom." 

We  returned  from  our  errand,  bearing  a  dupli 
cate  of  the  shade  which  we  had  found  on  a  shelf. 
Dorothy,  who  by  this  time  had  come  down  from 
the  table  where  Hamerly  and  Tom  still  stood,  took 
the  shade  from  my  hands  and  held  it  to  the  light. 

*  This  shade  is  nothing  but  ordinary  glass. 
There's  nothing  unusual  about  it,"  she  exclaimed. 
*  The  effect  of  the  shade  up  there  must  be  due  to 
a  gas  inside." 

/Vs  Tom  and  Hamerly  leaped  from  the  table  to 
J76 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  177 

inspect  the  shade,  I  seized  the  opportunity  to 
ascend,  and  mounting,  gazed  through  the  hemi 
spherical  glass.  A  strange  world  met  my  eyes. 
Everything  seen  through  the  glass  was  bent  around 
at  extraordinary  angles.  Tom's  legs,  seen  below 
the  shade,  were  perfectly  natural  and  upright,  but 
his  torso,  seen  through  the  shade,  was  bent  like 
the  body  of  a  Japanese  contortionist  engaged  in 
extremest  posturing.  The  straight  line  of  the  door 
casing  beyond  was  broken  short  off  where  the  line 
of  the  shade  intersected  it,  and  the  top  of  the 
casing  appeared  in  a  wholly  different  place.  As  I 
gazed,  I  struggled  to  think  what  common  everyday 
thing  acted  in  much  the  same  way.  Eureka,  I 
had  it. 

;<  Why,  whatever  is  inside  this  globe  bends 
everything  seen  through  it,  something  as  a  spoon 
is  bent  in  a  glass  of  water  or  an  oar  in  a  pond,"  I 
cried. 

Hamerly  looked  up.  '  That's  about  right, 
Orrington.  Or  better  yet,  you  could  say  it  bends 
the  things  you  see,  as  the  hot  gases  rising  from  a 
chimney  bend  everything  behind  them  into  wavy 
lines.  Haven't  you  ever  watched  the  queer  wavi- 
ness  that  shows  in  a  wintry  atmosphere  above 
chimneys,  when  you  look  over  them  ?  " 

"  Many  a  time,"  I  replied. 

"Well,  that's  just  the  same  type  of  thing  we  have 
here.  When  you  look  across  a  chimney,  where  hot 


178  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

gases  from  a  fire  are  coming  off,  you  are  looking 
from  air  through  lighter  gases  (for  such  hot  gases 
are  lighter  than  cold  air)  to  cold  air  again.  That 
extreme  bending  of  light  rays  that  we  call  refrac 
tion  is  the  reason  why  we  hope  we  have  a  new  gas." 

"  If  we  can  test  the  gas  to  find  out  what  it  is,  it 
ought  to  be  a  big  lift  in  finding  out  what  really 
happened,"  I  said,  as  I  descended  from  the  table. 

"  That  won't  be  hard  at  all,"  interrupted  Doro 
thy.  "  We'll  test  it  with  the  spectroscope  in  the 
next  room.  Here  comes  Tom  now,  with  the 
apparatus  to  catch  and  confine  the  gas." 

With  glass  tubes  and  air  pumps,  with  platinum 
and  flame,  they  strove  for  half  an  hour,  Tom, 
Hamerly,  and  Swenton  together.  Dorothy  threw 
in  a  quiet  word  of  suggestion  now  and  then,  but  the 
most  of  the  time  she  stood  back  with  me.  This 
was  a  matter  for  experts,  and  left  nothing  for  me  to 
do.  As  we  waited,  I  asked  Dorothy  two  questions. 
"  Where  do  you  think  the  gas  came  from  ?  Has  it 
been  here  since  Heidenmuller's  death  ?  " 

"  I  think  it  must  have  been,"  answered  Dorothy. 
"  If,  as  I  imagine,  we  have  an  unknown  gas  here, 
it  is  probably  one  of  the  products  left  behind  from 
the  metal  destroyed  by  the  terrific  force  used  by  the 
man.  When  the  substance  that  gave  the  force, 
energy,  or  whatever  you  call  it,  escaped  through  the 
broken  valve  of  the  cigarette  case,  this  gas  was 
formed  from  the  changed  metal  and,  as  it  was 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  179 

lighter  than  the  air,  some  of  it  rose  and  filled  the 
shade,  the  rest  floated  upward  and  out  through 
some  crevice.  When  the  man  destroyed  the 
Alaska  or  any  of  the  other  vessels,  the  same  thing 
probably  occurred  —  the  metal  of  the  ship  changed 
to  a  gas  which  floated  up  into  the  air  with  extreme 
rapidity.  The  gas  must  be  to  air  as  oil  is  to  water, 
that  is,  it  can't  diffuse  or  mix  with  it,  any  more 
than  oil  can  mix  with  water  Otherwise  it  wouldn't 
have  stayed  all  these  months  in  the  lamp  shade." 

Just  then  Tom  came  towards  us  with  a  glass 
tube,  a  foot  long  and  an  inch  or  two  wide,  in  his 
hand.  In  each  end  was  sealed  a  bit  of  silvery 
metal. 

"  Platinum,"  I  said,  as  I  looked  at  them. 

*  Yes,"  said  Tom  laughing,  "  Mrs.  Rosnosky 
taught  you  to  know  platinum  when  you  see  it. 
Just  look  through  this." 

He  held  the  tube  before  us,  and  the  same  magic 
bending  of  the  lines  showed  as  we  gazed.  The 
tube  was  filled  with  the  gas  that  I  had  seen  in  the 
shade  above. 

'  That's  as  pretty  a  piece  of  work  as  I  ever  did," 
said  Tom  approvingly.  '  Transferred  it  without 
allowing  practically  a  particle  of  air  to  get  in. 
Now  we're  ready  to  try  the  current  on  it,  and  then 
the  spectroscope." 

Rembrandt  might  well  have  painted  the  picture 
that  I  beheld,  to  hang  beside  the  "  Lesson  in 


180  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

Anatomy  "  that  dominates  the  old  Museum  at  the 
Hague.  A  striking  group  of  four  bent  above  the 
shining  tubes  and  polished  mountings  of  the  spec 
troscope.  Tom,  eager,  with  his  fine  lean  face 
showing  the  highest  power  of  receptivity  to  new 
ideas,  mouth  mobile  but  firm,  with  an  ever  present 
tendency  towards  an  upward  lift  of  the  corners; 
Hamerly,  careful  thoughtful  scholar,  in  our  college 
slang  "  a  little  on  the  grind  type,"  extremely  bald, 
his  glasses  perched  judicially  on  his  rather  promi 
nent  nose,  his  face  showing  the  lines  of  deep  and 
strong  thought;  Swenton,  faithful  and  efficient 
follower,  a  man  who  would  always  be  led,  would 
never  spring  by  any  conceivable  chance  from  the 
narrow  channels  where  his  lot  had  chained  him; 
Dorothy,  Maxima  et  Optima,  now  commanding 
by  reason  of  her  swift  flying  intellect,  now  yielding 
to  her  dreams  as  she  had  an  hour  or  two  ago  in  the 
hansom  cab,  and,  when  yielding,  most  womanly, 
most  thoroughly  feminine  of  her  sex.  Faceted  like 
a  diamond,  she  shone  upon  the  world  through  every 
facet,  and  every  line,  plane  and  angle  showed  a 
new  beauty,  a  new  grace. 

The  four  stood  eagerly  intent  upon  the  little  tube 
before  them,  as  they  connected  it  with  a  huge  coil 
which  stood  near.  That  done,  everything  was 
ready  to  throw  the  switch  which  would  send  the 
electric  current  leaping  from  one  platinum  pole  to 
another,  penetrating  the  gas  in  the  tube,  heating  it, 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  181 

changing  its  action,  forcing  it  to  submit  to  the 
current's  tremendous  force. 

"  All  ready  ?  "  asked  Tom,  as  he  straightened 
up  from  the  last  adjustment.  "  Swenton,  you  turn 
off  the  lights  and  I'll  put  on  the  current  here." 

As  the  lights  went  out,  and  we  heard  the  sound 
of  the  throwing  of  the  switch,  Dorothy  stepped 
back  by  me.  A  low  buzz  grew  swiftly  in  intensity, 
and  then  a  simultaneous  cry  broke  from  us  all. 
Within  the  tube  a  soft  blue  came  slowly  from  out 
the  dark,  the  blue  of  early  dawn  on  quiet  waters, 
as  we  gazed  it  turned  darker,  more  brilliant;  now 
it  was  the  deep,  steel  blue  of  the  biting  autumn 
day,  now  the  deep,  blue  black  of  velvet  tropic  night. 
Every  change,  every  hue  was  lighted  by  the  rarest 
and  most  exquisite  effulgence  man  could  conceive. 
No  glory  bound  to  earth  it  seemed,  rather  an  un 
earthly  brilliancy,  perhaps  such  radiance  as  led  the 
three  kings,  Caspar,  Melchior  and  Balthazar,  to  the 
manger  where  the  young  child  lay.  It  awed  us  all. 

"  That  is  beyond  anything  I  ever  saw,"  said 
Hamerly  at  length,  breaking  the  silence.  "  I  have 
observed  every  known  gas  under  the  influence  of 
current,  but  never  anything  like  this." 

"  Nor  I,"  said  Tom.  "  But  there  may  be  no 
time  to  spare.  Let's  try  it  with  the  spectroscope." 

As  Tom  and  Dorothy  bent  over  the  instrument, 
I  asked  Hamerly,  "  What  do  you  expect  to  find 
from  the  spectroscope  ?  What  does  it  do  ?  " 


182  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

"  It  breaks  down  light,"  answered  Hamerly, 
"  by  means  of  a  prism,  as  a  prismatic  chandelier  or 
a  prismatic  glass  thermometer  throws  the  spectrum 
of  a  sunbeam  on  the  floor,  breaking  the  white  light 
of  the  sun  into  a  shifting  mass  of  color  that  changes 
from  red,  through  orange  and  green  to  violet. 
Every  different  glowing  gas  gives  off  a  slightly  dif 
ferent  light.  We  can  tell  by  the  spectroscope 
whether  the  light  from  this  gas  is  the  same  as  any 
we  have  known  before,  or  whether  it  is  different. 
If  the  light  waves  sent  out  are  unlike  any  recognized 
before,  we  can  be  sure  we  have  a  new  gas." 

Tom  was  turning  a  screw,  with  his  eye  glued  to 
a  small  telescope.  "  Change  that  tube  a  bit  to  the 
right,  Hamerly,"  he  said,  and  it  was  changed. 
"  Now  a  bit  higher.  No,  not  so  high,  a  bit  lower 
now.  There  you  are." 

He  gazed  long  and  intently,  then  rose,  motioning 
Hamerly  in  silence  to  take  his  place.  Dorothy 
followed  Hamerly,  and  Swenton  followed  her.  I 
ended,  but  I  could  distinguish  nothing  save  some 
lines  crossing  a  scale  placed  within  the  tube.  As  I 
rose  from  the  stool,  Tom  reached  up  to  throw  on 
the  lights.  As  he  faced  around,  Hamerly  met  him 
with  outstretched  hand. 

"  It  is  only  given  to  a  handful  of  scientists  in  a 
century,"  he  said,  "  to  find  a  new  element,  to  dis 
cover  one  of  those  units  from  which  the  world  is 
made.  I  believe  you  have  done  it  this  afternoon." 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  183 

"  It  is  a  new,  elementary  gas,"  said  Dorothy. 
'  You  found  it,  Tom,  when  you  climbed  that 
table." 

"  Much  good  it  will  do  me,  so  far  as  that  goes,'* 
remarked  Tom.  "  So  far  as  we  know,  all  there  is 
of  it  in  the  world  is  in  this  tube.  I  don't  know  how 
to  produce  any  more,  and  I  can't  publish  anything 
about  it,  for  it  would  interfere  with  our  search  for 
the  man." 

"  You  have  no  right  to  say  that  it's  no  use,"  said 
Dorothy.  "  Again  and  again  as  we  have  gone  on, 
the  slightest  unexpected  things  have  come  to  mean 
the  most.  I  believe  this  tube  of  unknown  gas  may 
be  a  most  important  link  in  the  chain." 

"  All  right,"  said  Tom.  "  Just  as  you  say.  You 
can  be  sure  I  wasn't  going  to  throw  it  into  the 
waste  basket." 

While  Swenton  cleared  away,  the  rest  of  us 
went  into  the  wooden  room.  Hamerly  passed 
across  and  opened  one  of  the  wooden  shutters. 
"  The  fog  is  lifting,"  he  said. 

We  looked  out  and  saw  that  the  other  side  of 
the  street  was  gradually  becoming  visible.  Dorothy 
seated  herself  by  the  window,  and  we  joined  her. 

"  I  don't  know  that  there  could  be  a  better  time," 
I  began,  "  than  right  here  and  now,  to  find  out  just 
where  we  are.  For  my  part,  I  want  to  understand 
the  relation  between  the  new  gas  and  all  that  has 
gone  before.  If  we  bring  all  our  information  to- 


184  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

gether,  won't  there  be  a  better  chance  to  get  a  line 
on  our  next  move  ?  " 

"  We  have  two  things  in  our  hands,"  said  Tom 
thoughtfully.  '  This  tube  of  gas  here  and  the 
cigarette  case.  We  know  that  the  ships  really 
disappeared,  because  Jim  has  been  to  the  bottom 
of  Portsmouth  Harbor  and  seen  the  men  that  lie 
there.  We  know  by  the  same  token  that  this  force 
kills,  by  a  sort  of  paralysis,  every  man  whom  it 
attacks.  Oh,  that  reminds  me,"  he  exclaimed, 
checking  himself.  "  Let  me  see  that  cigarette  case 
again,  if  you  will,  Hamerly  ?  "  The  case  once  in 
his  hand,  he  looked  it  over  with  minute  care.  "  In 
sulated  within  the  paraffin  by  caema,  don't  you 
think  ?  "  he  asked  Dorothy. 

After  a  brief  inspection  she  also  nodded. 
"  That's  caema,  all  right." 

"  Never  mind  caema,  now,  whatever  it  is,"  I 
said.  "  Let's  go  on  with  the  business.  What  else 
do  we  know  ?  " 

Hamerly  took  up  the  tale.  "  We  know  to  a 
reasonable  certainty  that  Dr.  Heidenmuller  was 
the  first  man  who  found  the  source  of  this  power, 
and  that  he  died  when  it  accidentally  was  let  loose. 
We  know  that  some  of  this  substance,  probably  in 
powder  form  like  radium,  was  kept  in  the  leather 
cigarette  case,  insulated  by  paraffin  and  caema." 
He  paused. 

"  We  know,"  went  on  Dorothy,  "  that  when  the 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  185 

man  who  is  trying  to  stop  all  war  uses  this  force,  a 
tremendous  amount  of  radio-active  energy  is  gener 
ated,  enough  to  affect  reflectoscopes  half  around 
the  world." 

"  We  know  there  is  something  which  is  even 
more  than  all  those  things,"  I  broke  in.  "  We 
know  there  is  a  man  who  is  slaughtering  men  by 
the  hundreds,  in  pursuit  of  his  ideal,  and  that  it  is 
our  business,  in  more  ways  than  one,  to  run  him 
down.  How  will  the  data  we  have  on  hand  en 
able  us  to  do  that  ?  " 

As  I  spoke,  Dorothy  was  sitting  looking  medi 
tatively  out  of  the  window.  The  fog  had  lifted  a 
little  more.  Hamerly  straightened  in  his  chair. 

"  Miss  Haldane,"  he  said,  "  if  you  will  look 
straight  across  the  street  from  where  you  are  sit 
ting,  you  can  see  the  spot  from  which  the  sign  fell 
on  the  day  that  Dr.  Heidenmuller  died." 

Dorothy  turned  in  her  chair,  and  we  all  crowded 
about  her.  Hamerly  pointed  across  the  road. 
There,  against  the  brick  wall  of  an  old  house, 
blackened  by  the  smoke  of  many  sooty  years,  two 
small  rectangles  showed  in  light  relief  against  the 
surrounding  darkness.  The  sight  of  those  spots, 
where  the  supports  to  the  sign  had  once  stood, 
brought  the  whole  horror  of  it  home  to  me  more 
forcibly  than  anything  else.  The  very  smallness, 
the  homeliness  of  the  thing  drove  it  in.  The 
accumulated  effects  of  the  charged  electroscopes, 


186  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

of  the  wave-measuring  machine,  of  the  bodies  on 
the  ocean's  floor,  of  Dr.  Heidenmuller's  death, 
and  of  the  gas  we  had  just  found,  rose  to  their  very 
crest  in  those  small,  light  gray  spots,  less  sullied 
than  the  rest  of  the  wall. 

"  And  there  is  where  the  wooden  sign  fell  down, 
and  its  iron  supports  disappeared,"  said  Tom 
reflectively.  *  Jove,  I'd  like  to  have  seen  it  happen. 
If  anybody  had  seen  it,  though,  he  wouldn't  have 
believed  his  eyes." 

We  were  still  standing,  peering  out  through  the 

rising  mist,  when   Dorothy  spoke  out  excitedly. 

'  That's  the  next  clue,  there's  nothing  else  that 

will  do  so  well,  —  the  hunt  for  disappearing  iron." 

"  What  good  will  that  do  ?  "  said  Tom.  "  We 
know  where  iron  has  disappeared,  and  we've  run 
everything  down  as  far  as  we  could.  It  isn't  likely 
that  Heidenmuller  or  the  man  went  around  shoot 
ing  off  signs  for  fun." 

"Of  course  not,"  answered  Dorothy  impatiently. 
'  But  don't  you  see  the  man  must  have  had  a 
laboratory,  or  lodgings,  anyway,  somewhere  in 
London,  if  he  got  his  data  and  his  power  from  Dr. 
Heidenmuller  here.  When  Dr.  Heidenmuller  let 
his  discovery  get  away  from  him,  it  killed  him,  and 
caused  all  the  metal  which  it  reached  to  disappear. 
Now,  the  man  hasn't  been  killed  by  his  weapon, 
unless  it  happened  very  recently,  but  it's  perfectly 
possible  that  he  might  have  allowed  some  of  his 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  187 

magic  substance  to  escape  without  injury  to  him 
self.  If  that  happened,  it  would  destroy  any  metal 
at  hand.  If  we  could  find  some  place  where  iron 
disappeared,  we  might  get  a  direct  clue  to  the 
whereabouts  of  the  man.  It's  worth  trying,  any 
way." 

"  I'm  sure  it  is,"  I  cried.  '  Tom,  you  old 
doubter,  speak  up  and  admit  Dorothy  knows  twice 
as  much  about  it  as  you  and  I  put  together." 

"  I  guess  not,"  said  Tom  firmly.  '  There  may 
be  something  in  this,  if  we  could  get  track  of  every 
thing  that  bore  on  disappearing  iron,  London 
over;  but,"  he  went  on,  "  talk  about  a  needle  in  a 
hay  stack.  You  went  up  against  a  hard  enough 
proposition  in  running  down  Heidenmuller's  lab 
oratory  here,  but  this  new  deal  is  far  worse.  You 
can't  advertise." 

"  No,  I  don't  see  how  you  can,"  remarked 
Dorothy,  a  trifle  discouraged. 

"  Oh,  this  thing's  easy  enough,"  I  broke  in.  !<  I 
wish  everything  was  as  simple.  Inside  of  two 
days,  I'll  have  all  the  information  that  London 
holds  with  regard  to  disappearing  iron." 

"  How  can  you  get  it?"  cried  the  three  in  unison. 


CHAPTER   XIV 

"  BY  using  the  device  which  ministers  at  the 
same  time  to  the  vanity  and  the  necessity  of  man, 
the  clipping  bureau,"  I  replied.  ''  We  will  sub 
scribe  to  that  distributer  of  special  information,  and 
get  every  clipping  for  the  last  six  months  that  bears 
upon  falling  blinds,  signs  lost,  or  stolen  iron.  They 
can  ransack  the  files  for  us,  and  send  us  the  result 
of  their  labor." 

"  Just  the  trick,"  cried  Tom  enthusiastically. 
"  We'll  go  straight  to  work  on  it.  Now  let's  get 
out  of  here." 

Bearing  our  precious  tube  of  gas,  we  started 
back,  leaving  Swenton  to  close  the  laboratory  and 
follow  later.  No  such  delightful  wandering  was 
provided  for  our  return  as  for  our  coming.  All  too 
soon  we  were  back  at  the  Savoy  with  our  day's 
labor  over,  ready  to  follow  the  new  trail  wherever 
it  might  lead  us. 

Two  mornings  after  the  eventful  day  in  Heiden- 
muller's  laboratory,  I  knocked  at  Dorothy's  door, 
and  entered  to  find  the  broad  table  of  her  sunny 
parlor  covered  with  piles  of  neat  clippings,  each 
with  a  docketed  slip  at  the  top.  The  clipping 

188 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  189 

bureau  had  exceeded  my  best  hopes,  and  had 
turned  in  the  information  in  quantities.  Tom  and 
Dorothy  were  bending  over  the  piles  sorting  them, 
as  the  maid  ushered  me  in. 

"  If  you  hadn't  told  them  to  sort  these  things  at 
their  office,  we  should  have  been  swamped  beyond 
all  hope  of  salvation,"  grumbled  Tom,  as  he  stood 
with  a  bundle  of  clippings  between  every  finger  of 
both  hands.  ''  Where  are  the  Westminster  shut 
ters,  Dorothy  ? " 

"  Here  they  are,"  said  Dorothy.  "  Now  I  want 
the  Chelsea  signs.  It's  just  like  solitaire.  The 
signs  are  my  cards.  The  blinds  go  to  Tom,  and 
you  can  take  stolen  iron.  That's  stolen  iron,  that 
heap  of  packets  over  on  the  other  side  of  the 
table." 

I  sat  down  to  my  task.  Hour  after  hour  passed, 
and  we  sorted,  read,  and  rejected.  Now  and  then  a 
clipping  would  go  aside  for  further  reference. 
Occasionally  a  packet  or  a  single  slip  would  pass 
from  one  to  another.  Lunch  took  an  hour,  but 
after  lunch  we  turned  again  to  our  labors,  and 
afternoon  tea  time  came  and  went  before  we  were 
done.  At  length  Tom  rose  and  gave  a  mighty 
yawn.  "  Eight  that  look  good,"  he  remarked. 

"  Eight  from  me,"  I  echoed. 

'  Ten,"  chimed  in  Dorothy. 

'  That's  not  half  bad,"  said  Tom  reflectively. 
'  There  were  hundreds  of  clippings  there,  and 


190  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

we've  brought  them  down  pretty  low,  all  things 
considered." 

We  three  dined  alone  that  night,  and  when  the 
coffee  came  on,  Tom  reached  into  his  pocket  and 
pulled  out  a  long  envelope  with  the  twenty-six 
clippings.  "  Which  comes  first  ? "  he  asked, 
"  Signs  or  blinds  or  stolen  iron  ?  " 

"  Match  you  to  decide,"  I  answered,  and  I 
pulled  out  a  sovereign.  "  I'll  take  signs,  you  take 
shutters."  Tom  won. 

"  Shutters  against  stolen  iron  then,"  cried 
Dorothy. 

"  I'll  match  you  this  time,"  said  Tom.  We 
matched  again,  and  again  Tom  won. 

"  Then  one  of  my  eight  shutters  is  the  trump 
card,"  exclaimed  Tom.  "I'll  number  them  one  to 
eight,  and  then  pass  the  bunch  around  so  we  can 
each  pick  the  two  that  look  like  winners.  Then  I'll 
pass  the  signs  to  pick  a  second  choice." 

Dorothy,  in  her  gray  gown  of  shimmering  silk, 
her  face  flushed  with  the  excitement  of  the  decision, 
pored  over  the  little  list  carefully  for  some  minutes 
before  she  returned  them  to  Tom,  who  passed 
them  on  to  me,  remarking  briefly,  "  I  made  up  my 
mind  when  I  picked  the  eight  out  of  the  bunch." 
Three  times  over  I  read  the  list  which  told  of  blinds 
dropping  on  still  days  and  injuring  passers-by. 
Tom  had  eliminated  the  accounts  which  told  of 
signs  and  shutters  blown  off  in  gales.  It  might 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  191 

easily  happen  that  a  gale  and  the  escape  of  the 
destructive  power  would  occur  simultaneously,  but 
the  unusual  was  the  thing  we  were  after;  there, 
most  of  all,  would  lie  the  clue  we  sought.  At  last 
I  came  to  a  decision  and  looked  up.  "  One  in  the 
first  lot  and  three  in  the  second,"  I  said. 

"  One  and  three,"  echoed  Dorothy. 

"  The  same,"  said  Tom.  "  Great  thing  to  be 
unanimous.  Read  'em  aloud,  Jim."  I  obeyed. 

'  A  shutter  which  fell  from  a  house  on  Gower 
Street,  just  off  Tottenham  Court  Road,  struck  a 
passing  laborer  yesterday  morning,  and  inflicted 
injuries  of  so  grave  a  character  that  he  was  im 
mediately  removed  in  an  unconscious  condition  to 
the  hospital.  His  identity  has  not  yet  been  estab 
lished.'  That's  number  one." 

"  '  A  large  sign  which  fell  from  a  second  story  at 
Chelsea  yesterday  broke  in  pieces  on  the  sidewalk 
beneath,  but  fortunately  inflicted  no  serious  injury.' 
That's  number  three.  Which  do  we  choose  ? " 

"  Both  of  those  look  rather  good  to  me,"  an 
swered  Tom.  "  But  I  think  the  one  near  Totten 
ham  Court  Road  looks  best.  The  chances  of 
finding  the  man's  laboratory  would  be  greater  in 
Bloomsbury  than  farther  out."  Dorothy  nodded 
her  approval. 

"  All  right,"  I  said,  as  we  rose.  '  The  corps  will 
move  upon  Bloomsbury  at  dawn,  under  command 
of  General  Dorothy  Haldane." 


192  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

"  Dawn  being  interpreted  nine  thirty,  we  will," 
answered  Dorothy  laughing. 

The  next  morning  found  us  bowling  along  to 
wards  our  destination,  discussing  meanwhile  the 
method  of  attack.  "  Leave  it  to  inspiration,"  I 
said,  as  we  drew  up  at  the  door.  "  Let  me  play  a 
lone  hand  on  this." 

Luck  was  with  me.  There  was  a  sign  of  "  Lodg 
ings  "  in  the  window.  Leaping  out  I  walked  up 
the  steps  and  rang  the  bell,  while  the  cab  went  on 
down  the  street.  The  maid  who  opened  the  door 
was  trimmer  than  I  had  expected  to  find.  The 
mistress  of  the  lodging  house,  when  she  appeared, 
though  a  perfect  mountain  of  flesh,  gave  signs  of  a 
very  considerable  intelligence.  "  Yes,  there  were 
lodgings.  A  second  and  fourth  floor  front."  Up 
the  stairs  panted  and  wheezed  the  stout  landlady, 
while  I  followed  in  her  train.  On  the  fourth  floor 
we  halted  and  entered  the  small  hall  bedroom  at 
the  top  of  the  stairs.  I  threw  the  window  open  and 
leaned  out,  and  looked  up  and  down  the  street. 

'  Bad  thing  if  a  shutter  fell  from  here,"  I  said. 
'*  Wasn't  it  in  one  of  the  houses  near  this  that  the 
shutter  fell  and  injured  a  laborer  a  couple  of 
months  ago  ?  " 

The  landlady  seized  my  lead  instantly.  "  It 
was  the  right  hand  shutter,"  she  said,  "  in  the  very 
window  you're  looking  out  of  now." 

I  bent  eagerly  to  look  at  the  hinges.    They  were 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  193 

brand  new,  while  those  on  the  other  side  were 
strained  and  worn  through  years  of  exposure  to 
wind  and  sun  and  rain. 

"  You  don't  say,"  I  replied.  "  Most  interesting. 
I  suppose  the  hinges  rusted  and  broke." 

"  No,"  said  the  landlady,  "  that  was  one  of  the 
queerest  things  about  it.  After  the  whole  thing 
was  over,  and  I  came  to  look  at  the  place  where  the 
shutter  fell,  there  was  no  trace  of  a  hinge.  It  must 
have  pulled  right  out  of  the  brick,  and  when  I 
went  next  day  to  look  at  the  shutters  in  the  kitchen, 
the  hinges,  screws,  and  everything  were  gone,  and 
I  never  saw  the  least  trace  of  them  from  that  day 
to  this.  We  had  the  new  shutter  put  up  a  week 
later." 

"  What  luck !  "  I  thought  to  myself,  as  I  looked 
around  over  the  adjoining  housetops.  "  Hit  it 
first  time  trying.  Somewhere,  behind  those  roofs, 
lies  the  laboratory  of  the  man  who  is  trying  to  stop 
all  war."  I  parted  with  the  landlady,  promising  an 
early  decision,  and  went  in  search  of  Tom  and 
Dorothy. 

They  left  the  carriage  as  I  approached  and  hur 
ried  towards  me.  "  The  iron  of  the  shutter  disap 
peared,"  I  said  significantly. 

Tom  gave  the  long,  low  whistle  which  always 
typified  interest  and  surprise  to  him. 

'  You  think  the  man's  laboratory  is  somewhere 
near  here,  then,"  asked  Dorothy  excitedly. 


194  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

"  JU(Jgmg  ^7  Hamerly's  experience  with  the 
sign  opposite  Dr.  Heidenmuller's  laboratory,  I 
certainly  do,"  I  answered  seriously.  "  This  prob 
ably  happened  just  as  that  did." 

"  Then,"  said  Tom,  "  it's  probably  up  to  us  to 
make  a  house  to  house  canvass  of  the  neighborhood. 
It  looks  to  me  as  if  the  chances  were  better  in  one 
of  the  buildings  on  Tottenham  Court  Road  than 
in  any  of  the  houses  round  here." 

"  That's  right,"  I  answered  briefly.  "  Tell  you 
what  we'll  do.  We'll  ask  at  every  shop  if  they 
know  of  any  chemical  laboratory.  Tell  'em  we're 
hunting  for  a  man  who  works  in  such  a  laboratory. 
Lay  it  on  thick  and  give  'em  plenty  of  detail. 
That's  the  way  to  get  the  information  you  want." 

"  I'll  wait  for  you  in  the  carriage  round  the  cor 
ner,"  Dorothy  called  after  us,  as  we  started  away. 

From  bakeshop  to  dairy,  from  furniture  store  to 
shoe  shop,  I  travelled,  searching  for  some  news  of 
my  poor  Cousin  George,  who  had  worked  in  a 
laboratory  somewhere  near  the  corner  of  Totten 
ham  Court  Road  and  Gower  Street,  and  who  had 
disappeared.  Persistently  diplomatic,  I  forced  my 
way  on,  under  rebuff  after  rebuff,  leaving  no  store 
until  I  had  a  pretty  vivid  idea  of  the  various  occu 
pations  which  made  their  home  on  every  floor  of  its 
building.  As  I  left  after  receiving  one  particularly 
stinging  answer,  I  caught  sight  of  Tom  across  the 
street,  beckoning.  I  followed  him  at  a  little  dis- 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  195 

tance  until  he  turned  a  sharp  corner  into  a  little 
alley.  He  appeared  slightly  dishevelled  as  he 
turned  around. 

"  See  here,"  he  said  abruptly,  "  I'm  afraid  we'll 
be  run  in  if  we  keep  this  up  much  longer.  I've  been 
in  one  row  already.  Had  to  knock  a  man  down 
who  made  caustic  remarks  about  sneak  thieves. 
What  have  you  got  hold  of,  anyway  ?  " 

"  Haven't  got  hold  of  a  thing,"  I  responded. 

"  Well,  then,"  said  Tom,  "  let's  cast  back  and 
take  another  look  at  the  topography,  just  where  the 
shutter  fell." 

Back  we  went  over  the  ground  once  more,  and 
stopped  to  examine  cautiously  the  window  with  its 
green  blind. 

'  That's  a  fourth  story  corner  room,"  said  Tom 
reflectively,  "  and  the  house  next  to  it  is  only  three 
stories.  Why,  you  blind  man,"  he  went  on  sud 
denly,  "  only  one  side  of  the  shutter  fell,  so  the  attack 
couldn't  have  come  from  the  front.  It  must  have 
come  from  the  back  of  the  house.  Let's  go  round 
and  see  what  is  just  behind  this." 

Round  the  square  we  circumnavigated,  landing 
finally  at  a  building  some  five  stories  high,  whose 
first  story  showed  the  shelves  and  cluttered  window 
of  a  second-hand  book  shop.  Beside  the  shop  a 
flight  of  stairs  led  to  the  upper  stories.  No  sign 
gave  evidence  of  any  business  carried  on  above  the 
first. 


196  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

"  Here  goes  for  the  book  shop,"  said  Tom,  and 
we  marched  in. 

A  tall,  stooping  youth  of  exaggerated  height, 
with  lank  and  flaming  red  moustache,  came 
wearily  forward,  stifling  a  cavernous  yawn  as  he 
came.  We  repeated  our  stock  inquiry  to  him.  We 
were  Colonials  from  Australia  seeking  our  Cousin 
George,  who  worked  in  a  laboratory.  Did  our 
friend  with  the  red  moustache  know  of  any  labora 
tory  near  ?  A  gleam  of  interest  lighted  the  slightly 
watery  eyes. 

"  H'l  don't  rightly  know  w'ether  h'it's  h'a 
laboritory  h'or  not,"  he  began,  "  but  there's  some 
sort  h'of  a  bloomin'  show  h'occupies  h'our  'ole 
fifth.  HTve  never  been  h'ible  to  see  h'inside  h'it 
yet.  You  might  try  h'a  shot  h'at  h'it  'owever." 

We  received  the  volley  of  misplaced  aspirates 
with  joyous  hearts,  noting  the  gleam  of  avid 
curiosity  in  the  watery  eyes,  as  the  clerk  thought  of 
the  mysterious  laboratory  on  the  top  floor.  All  he 
could  tell  was  that  the  top  floor  had  been  let  a  few 
months  before  to  a  tall  man.  With  the  usual  vague 
ness  of  his  type  of  mind,  that  was  as  far  as  he  could 
go.  Over  and  over  again  he  repeated  the  same 
indefinite  phrase,  a  tall  man.  When  the  man 
moved  in,  a  couple  of  vans  had  brought  strange 
furnishings,  a  small  furnace,  glassware  and  in 
strument  cases.  A  little  while  ago  an  assistant 
had  appeared,  a  foreigner  who  knew  no  English,  or 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  197 

at  least  refused  to  understand  the  language.  The 
two,  the  man  and  his  assistant,  often  worked  to 
gether  till  late  at  night.  Sometimes,  the  clerk 
believed,  they  worked  all  night.  As  for  him,  he 
would  have  repeated  the  thing  to  the  police.  He 
didn't  believe  in  having  mysteries  like  that  around, 
but  his  master,  the  proprietor  of  the  book  shop, 
refused  to  part  with  regular  paying  tenants.  Yes, 
sir,  he'd  tried  again  and  again  to  see  what  they 
were  doing,  but  there  was  a  curtain  over  the  door, 
and  you  couldn't  see  anything  through  the  keyhole. 
The  door  was  always  locked,  so  that  the  adven 
turous  spirit  of  the  clerk  had  to  be  content  with 
imagining  the  horrible  crimes  perpetrated  behind 
the  curtained  door. 

This  certainly  looked  good.  With  anxious 
hearts,  Tom  and  I  started  up  the  stairs  in  search 
once  more  of  our  Cousin  George,  halting,  however, 
at  the  second  story,  once  the  clerk  was  left  safely 
behind. 

"  It  certainly  looks  like  queer  street,  anyway," 
remarked  Tom  reflectively.  "  It  may  be  the  man, 
or  it  may  be  some  bunch  of  counterfeiters  or  other 
criminals.  I'm  not  going  to  back  down  for  a 
minute,  but  I  think  one  of  us  had  better  hunt  up 
Dorothy,  tell  her  where  we  are,  and  have  her  put 
the  police  on  the  trail,  if  we  shouldn't  happen  to 
turn  up  to-night.  Strikes  me  that  that  would  be 
only  an  elementary  precaution." 


198  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

"  I'll  do  it,"  I  said.     "  You  watch  here." 

Before  Tom  could  object,  I  was  half  way  down 
the  stairs  and  out  on  the  street.  On  Tottenham 
Court  Road,  I  found  Dorothy  driving  up  and 
down.  She  leaned  forward  questioningly  as  I 
jumped  in.  I  nodded  in  answer,  "  Yes.  We've 
got  the  place,  but  we  need  your  help  now." 
Warned  by  experience  as  to  its  necessity,  I  had 
mapped  out  my  line  of  argument  carefully,  as  I 
hurried  along.  "  We  have  the  very  place,  but  we 
want  you  to  stay  outside  and  send  us  help,  if  we 
should  get  into  trouble." 

Dorothy's  face  fell.  "  I  want  to  go  with  you 
the  worst  way,"  she  said.  "Yet  I  don't  like  the  idea 
of  you  two  going  into  danger  without  any  outside 
assistance.  What  have  you  found  out  ?  " 

It  was  no  easy  matter  to  convince  her,  yet  when 
Dorothy  saw  the  condition  of  affairs,  there  was 
really  nothing  she  could  do  but  give  in.  For  us  to 
explore  that  unknown  territory,  without  some  line 
on  the  outside  to  protect  us  in  case  of  peril,  was 
manifestly  unwise.  Certainly  it  was  not  possible 
for  us  to  let  so  plain  a  clue  go  by. 

At  my  command,  the  cabman  drove  past  the 
old  book  store,  up  the  street,  and  round  the  square. 
Back  on  the  main  thoroughfare  again,  I  made 
ready  to  return  and  join  Tom. 

'  You've  got  the  place  fixed  clearly  in  mind  ?  "  I 
asked,  looking  up  at  her  from  the  sidewalk. 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  199 

To  my  surprise,  Dorothy's  eyes  were  filled  with 
tears,  and  her  voice  came  pleadingly.  "  I  wish  you 
did  not  feel  you  had  to  go.  I  don't  know  why  I 
feel  so  strangely  about  your  going,  but  I  do.  Isn't 
there  some  other  way  out  ?  " 

I  felt  my  resolution  waning,  as  an  almost  over 
mastering  desire  to  seize  her  in  my  arms,  in  the 
face  of  shocked  and  respectable  Bloomsbury, 
swept  over  me. 

"  We've  got  to  follow  the  trail  to  the  end,  Doro 
thy,"  I  answered.  "  Everything's  going  to  be  all 
right,  don't  worry." 

As  I  turned  away,  I  felt  a  light  touch,  almost  like 
a  caress,  on  my  coat  sleeve.  Accident  or  not,  no 
knight  ever  went  into  battle  more  inspired  by  his 
lady's  gage  than  I,  bearing  that  accolade,  strode 
towards  the  old  book  shop  and  the  mysterious 
laboratory  on  the  fifth  floor. 

Tom  greeted  me  eagerly  as  I  reached  the  second 
story.  "  Not  a  sound  from  the  laboratory,"  he 
began.  "  And,  luck  of  lucks,  there's  an  open,  empty 
room  opposite,  where  we  can  wait.  Come  on  up." 

Up  the  stairs  and  into  the  empty  room  we  passed, 
pausing  briefly  to  examine  the  blank  and  heavy 
door  of  the  mysterious  workers  fastened  by  heavy 
locks.  Our  waiting  place  proved  nothing  more 
than  a  bare  attic  chamber,  with  a  constricted 
view  of  roofs  and  chimney  pots. 

"  Not   exactly   the   abode   of  luxury,"   1   said, 


200  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

glancing  around  critically,  "  but  then  it's  all  in  the 
day's  work.  I've  waited  in  worse  places  for  a  lot 
smaller  stakes." 

Folding  his  great  coat  for  a  cushion,  Tom  seated 
himself  back  against  the  wall.  He  had  left  the 
door  a  trace  ajar.  "  I'm  practically  sure  that 
there's  no  one  in  there  now,  and  we'll  wait  here 
till  they  arrive.  We  shall  be  sure  to  hear  them 
when  they  come  up  the  stairs.  By  Jove,  never 
thought  of  it.  Not  a  thing  to  read  with  us.  There's 
the  book  shop  downstairs;  I  wonder  if  I  dare  to 
try  a  sortie."  He  thought  a  moment.  "  No,  not 
yet,  anyway.  Tell  you  what  I'll  do.  Here's  a 
sporting  proposition  for  you."  He  pulled  out  his 
penknife  and  opened  it.  "  Here's  a  bully  bare 
floor.  I'll  play  you  a  game  of  stick  knife  to  while 
away  the  time." 

Nobody  but  an  eternal  boy  like  Tom  would 
have  conceived  of  a  game  of  stick  knife  to  while 
away  the  time  of  waiting  before  the  mystery  hidden 
by  the  blank  face  of  the  oaken  door  across  the 
passage.  Nobody  but  an  eternal  boy  would  have 
won  so  exasperatingly.  Expert  in  all  intricacies  of 
the  art,  Tom  had  far  outdistanced  me  as  a  knife 
juggler  and  I  was  lagging  far  in  the  rear,  when  we 
heard  the  quiet  closing  of  the  door  five  stories  be 
low.  In  an  instant  we  were  on  our  feet,  waiting 
for  the  ascending  heavy  footsteps.  Tom's  mobile 
face  stiffened  into  rigid  lines  as  he  crouched,  poised 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  201 

beside  the  door,  while  I  stood  ready  to  swing  the 
door  open,  and  spring  if  necessary  on  the  man  who 
came.  As  the  footsteps  halted  on  the  landing  be 
fore  us,  Tom  bent  towards  me. 

"  The  assistant,"  he  whispered,  "  let  him  un 
lock  the  door  and  we'll  push  our  way  in  with  him." 

Everything  happened  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye. 
The  jingle  of  keys,  the  slight  creak  of  the  opening 
door,  then  a  sudden  bound  and  we  were  across  the 
hall  and  in  an  anteroom  facing  a  bewildered  man, 
evidently  a  Norwegian,  whose  blond  face  was 
framed  in  flaxen  hair  and  spade-shaped  flaxen 
beard,  and  whose  somewhat  cowlike  eyes  peered 
out  from  spectacles  of  massive  frame.  He  was 
clothed  in  a  queer,  straight-fronted,  long,  blue  sack 
coat  with  voluminous,  almost  sailor-like  trousers. 
As  he  saw  us  standing  on  either  side  of  him,  he 
started  back  for  a  moment,  but  then  stopped  short, 
his  keys  still  dangling  from  his  hand. 

"  Pardon  this  somewhat  sudden  entrance,"  I 
said,  in  my  politest  tone,  "  but  we  are  inspectors  to 
visit  the  laboratory." 

A  flood  of  unintelligible  gutturals  followed  my 
statement.  This  was  accompanied  by  vehement 
pointings  at  the  door  by  which  we  had  entered, 
and  which  was  now  closed,  with  Tom  before  it. 
I  sat  on  the  table  swinging  my  legs  till  the  torrent 
passed.  Then,  as  it  died  away,  I  walked  boldly  to 
one  of  the  two  doors  on  the  opposite  side  to  that 


202  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

which  we  entered,  tried  it,  and  then  tried  the  other. 
Both  were  locked.  Carefully  watching  the  assist 
ant's  face,  I  pointed  first  at  the  keys  still  dangling 
forgotten  in  his  hand,  and  then  pointed  at  the  first 
door  I  had  tried,  going  to  it  and  shaking  the  lock. 
To  our  surprise,  the  indignation  in  the  man's 
countenance  suddenly  ceased.  A  mild  acquiescence 
shone  from  behind  his  glasses  and,  going  forward, 
he  unlocked  the  door,  opened  to  a  twilight  behind 
and  went  in.  We  stumbled  in  to  the  half  light, 
Tom  closing  the  door  behind  us.  As  we  entered,  I 
tripped  over  a  chair  and  fell  headlong,  throwing 
Tom,  who  was  following.  As  I  scrambled  to  my 
feet,  a  guttural  laugh  rang  in  my  ears  and  a  door 
slammed.  There  was  a  sound  of  bolts  run  home  as 
I  dashed  forward,  only  to  come  headlong  against  a 
closed  door.  I  rushed  back  to  the  door  through 
which  we  had  entered,  and  shook  it  in  vain,  hearing, 
to  my  bitter  mortification,  a  bolt  running  into  its 
slide  as  I  shook,  a  sound  followed  by  another  out 
burst  of  Northern  Teutonic  glee.  Foiled  on  both 
sides,  I  wheeled  to  look  about  me,  and  saw  Tom 
already  making  a  rapid  investigation  of  the 
premises. 

We  were  in  a  small  room,  perhaps  ten  by  twelve, 
surrounded  by  blank  walls,  save  for  openings  made 
by  the  two  doors  on  opposite  sides.  The  only 
passage  to  the  outer  air  was  through  an  iron  plate, 
perhaps  nine  inches  by  three  feet,  placed  in  the 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  203 

flat  roof.  In  this  were  set  small  glass  bull's-eyes,  of 
the  same  type  as  those  used  to  light  basements  from 
sidewalks.  A  couple  of  wooden  stools  made  the 
only  furnishings  of  the  room.  Tom  turned  to  me 
at  the  end  of  his  inspection  and  shook  his  head. 

"  I've  made  many  a  bad  break  in  my  life,"  he 
said  regretfully,  "  but  coming  in  here  after  you 
and  closing  that  door  is  the  worst  yet.  That  assist 
ant,  with  his  fool  face,  tricked  me  completely." 

"  Same  here,"  I  answered,  "  but  there's  no  use 
in  wasting  time  talking  about  it.  If  there's  any 
possible  way  to  do  it,  we  must  be  out  of  here  before 
the  man  can  notify  the  master." 

"  Right,"  said  Tom.  "  Let's  try  smashing  our 
way  out,  first,  by  aid  of  these  stools." 

In  the  pause  that  followed  this  proposal,  we 
heard  the  heavy,  slow  step  of  the  assistant  cross  the 
anteroom,  heard  the  opening  and  the  closing  of  the 
outer  door.  We  were  left  alone. 

"  Good,"  said  Tom,  "  Now  we  can  make  all  the 
noise  we  want  to." 

Suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  he  gave  a  mighty 
blow  to  the  door  with  the  wooden  stool.  The  door 
stood  like  a  rock,  but  the  stool  flew  to  pieces,  the 
fragments  of  its  seat  narrowly  missing  me  as  they 
flew  by. 

"  A  well-made  door,"  said  Tom  reflectively. 
"  They  don't  have  doors  like  that  in  most  modern 
houses." 


204  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

As  he  spoke,  he  crossed  the  room  to  examine  the 
door  on  the  opposite  side.  "  Same  staunch  build," 
he  remarked  judicially.  "  We  couldn't  be  caged 
better,  outside  a  prison.  I'm  rather  lighter  than 
you,  Jim,"  he  went  on,  "  let  me  get  up  on  your 
shoulders  and  try  this  small  roof  window." 

He  climbed  up,  and  in  a  minute  or  two  came 
down  again.  "  Padlocked  with  an  iron  bar  and 
staple  from  the  outside,"  he  said  briefly.  "  There's 
just  one  thing  left.  To  dig  our  way  out  with  our 
knives  through  that  solid  oak  door.  I  don't  know, 
of  course,  whether  we  can  do  it  or  not,  but  I  think 
it's  the  only  alternative." 

"  That's  one  way,  but  not  the  only  one,"  I  said. 
"  One  thing  we  can  do  first,  put  a  signal  out  for 
Dorothy." 

"  How  can  you  signal  Dorothy  ?  "   asked  Tom. 

"  Break  a  hole  in  one  of  those  glass  bull's-eyes  up 
there,"  I  answered,  "  and  put  a  rung  of  the  broken 
stool  up  through,  with  my  handkerchief  tied  on  it." 

"  Good  work,"  said  Tom.    "  Just  the  ticket." 

In  two  minutes  our  flag  of  distress  was  waving 
on  the  roof. 

"  Now  for  the  door,"  I  cried,  and  we  both  set  to 
work  on  the  hard  oak  about  the  lock.  British  oak 
is  proverbially  tough,  but  that  oak  was  the  toughest 
that  ever  came  out  of  Britain's  primeval  forests,  I 
verily  believe.  When  we  had  worked  on  it  for 
what  seemed  an  endless  time,  we  had  but  a  slight 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  205 

furrow  on  either  side  of  the  lock,  and  two  broken 
blades  to  show  for  our  labors.  Still  we  kept 
doggedly  on,  chiseling  and  cutting,  little  by  little, 
till  some  impression  really  began  to  be  made.  At 
length  Tom  straightened  up  painfully. 

"  That's  backbreaking  work,  all  right,'*  he  re 
marked,  with  a  groan.  "  I  never  knew  how  much 
I  sympathized  with  escaping  prisoners  till  now." 

As  we  leaned  against  the  wall,  I  heard  a  slight 
movement  outside.  "  Hush,"  I  muttered,  "  there's 
a  sound." 

The  noise  grew  louder.  It  was  a  key  turning  in 
the  inside  door.  Then  not  one,  but  three  or  four 
persons,  came  hurriedly  across  the  floor  towards 
the  door  by  which  we  had  entered.  Tom  seized 
the  whole  stool  and  poised  it  ready  to  rush  out, 
while  I  gripped  a  rung  of  the  broken  one.  The 
bolt  shot  back,  the  key  turned,  the  door  swung  open, 
and  there  in  the  rectangle  stood  Dorothy,  Hamerly, 
the  assistant  who  had  imprisoned  us  and  an  un 
known  elderly  man.  In  a  moment  Dorothy  was  in 
Tom's  arms,  but  her  hand  groped  for  mine  as  she 
clung  to  him.  She  sobbed  only  for  a  moment, 
recovering  herself  almost  as  swiftly  as  she  had 
broken  down. 

"  Good  work,  old  girl,"  said  Tom,  patting  her. 
"  I  don't  think,  frankly,  that  I  was  ever  so  glad  to 
see  you  in  all  my  life." 

As  Dorothy,  still  with  a  slightly  tremulous  smile, 


206  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

turned  towards  me,  Tom  gave  his  hand  to  Ham- 
erly. 

"  How  in  blazes  did  Dorothy  do  this  trick, 
anyway  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  saw  your  signal  of  distress  from  the  other 
side  of  the  street,"  broke  in  Dorothy,  "  and  I  drove 
straight  to  the  Museum  for  one  of  our  friends  there. 
I  didn't  want  to  bother  with  police  if  I  could  help  it. 
I  met  Mr.  Hamerly  just  where  you  met  him  before, 
on  the  steps.  And  just  think,  this  good  man  here 
is  the  book  shop  man.  We  met  him  as  we  came 
down  to  the  door  after  trying  the  place." 

"  So  you  and  Hamerly  charged  the  lion's  den 
alone,  did  you  ?  "  I  interrupted. 

"  Why,  of  course,"  said  Dorothy. 

"  It's  all  due  to  her,"  said  Hamerly. 

"  No,  it's  due  to  the  assistant's  getting  fright 
ened,"  said  Dorothy.  "  Isn't  it,  Mr.  Elder  ?  " 

"  If  you'd  not  been  here,  Miss  Haldane,"  said 
the  book  store  proprietor,  "  I  never  should  have 
known  what  he  was  after.  I  couldn't  make  out  at 
all." 

"What  kind  of  laboratory  is  this?"  I  asked, 
determined  not  to  be  thrown  off  the  scent. 

The  old  man  laughed.  "  I  fancy  my  clerk  must 
have  been  telling  you  some  queer  things.  I've 
never  told  him  all  I  knew.  I  don't  mind  keeping 
him  wondering.  This  is  my  brother's  laboratory, 
and  as  to  what  he  does,  look  here !  " 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  207 

He  threw  open  the  second  door  and  we  gazed  in. 
Sets  on  sets  of  false  teeth,  boxes  of  dentist's 
supplies  and  dental  machinery  met  our  view.  I 
suddenly  began  to  laugh.  Tom  looked  at  me  for  a 
moment  and  burst  into  peal  on  peal  of  laughter, 
while  the  whole  crowd,  even  the  assistant,  who  had 
been  gazing  anxiously  at  us  meanwhile,  finally 
joined  in.  At  last,  weak  with  laughter,  I  asked, 
"  Why  did  the  assistant  shut  us  up  ?  " 

"  He  thought  you  were  burglars,"  explained  the 
book  shop  man,  "  and  as  my  brother  is  out  of 
town,  he  ran  for  me.  My  brother  is  a  little  careful 
whom  he  lets  in,  as  he  does  his  main  business  in 
another  place,  and  this  is  a  side  affair." 

And  so  the  incident  of  the  false  teeth  laboratory 
closed. 

The  outer  air  had  never  seemed  so  good  to  me 
save  twice  before,  —  when  I  left  the  New  York 
prison  in  Tom's  motor  car  headed  for  Dorothy,  and 
when  I  came  up  from  the  bottom  of  Portsmouth 
Harbor.  I  took  in  long  breaths  of  it,  as  we  walked 
towards  the  carriage  and  as  we  drove  towards  the 
hotel.  Dorothy  sat  silent  beside  Tom,  but  every 
now  and  then  I  met  her  eyes,  and  they  fell.  The 
old  look  seemed  gone.  There  was  a  change,  a  new 
and  very  sweet  timidity. 

As  we  entered  the  hotel,  Tom  drew  a  long 
breath.  "  A  good  night's  sleep,"  he  said,  "  and 
we'll  tackle  clipping  number  three." 


208  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

"  Agreed,"  said  I. 

"  Agreed,"  chimed  in  Dorothy,  "  provided  you'll 
take  me  with  you.  But  I  won't  go  through  another 
afternoon  like  this  for  anybody." 


CHAPTER   XV 

I  WAS  just  dropping  off  to  sleep  that  night  when 
I  heard  a  sharp  rap  at  my  door.  Jumping  up,  I 
opened  it,  and  Tom  rushed  in. 

"  I've  just  thought  of  something,  Jim.  The 
hinges  did  disappear  from  that  blind.  We  struck 
the  wrong  house  to-day,  but  we  mustn't  give  up 
on  that  account.  Suppose  you  go  back  again  to 
the  lodging  house  in  the  morning,  and  see  if  you 
can  get  any  more  light." 

"  Sure  thing,"  I  answered.  "  But  now,  for 
heaven's  sake,  let  me  go  to  sleep." 

"  Of  course,"  said  Tom,  in  an  aggrieved  tone. 
"  But  I  thought  you'd  want  to  hear  about  that  as 
soon  as  I  struck  it." 

"  Sure  thing,"  I  repeated  again.  "  Only,  now  I 
know  about  it,  go  to  bed,  and  let  me  do  the  same." 
My  head  touched  the  pillow  as  I  heard  the  sound 
of  the  closing  door,  and  then  I  slept  the  clock 
around. 

The  next  morning  I  started  straight  for  Blooms- 
bury,  to  my  destination  of  the  morning  before,  the 
lodging  house.  My  stout  friend  the  landlady  was 
out,  so  the  maid  informed  me,  but  I  could  see  the 

209 


210  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

room  again  if  I  wished.  Once  on  the  top  story,  I 
flung  open  the  window  and  gazed  about  me.  The 
wilderness  of  brick  was  broken  only  by  the  waving 
boughs  that  keep  this  part  of  London  from  being 
quite  the  dreary  waste  that  most  modern  cities  are 
fast  becoming,  or  have  long  since  become.  As  I 
stood  there  striving  to  pierce  the  mystery,  the  maid 
stood  at  a  shambling  attention  in  the  doorway. 
Finally,  I  turned. 

"  I  was  very  much  interested  in  the  story  your 
mistress  told  me  of  the  falling  shutter,"  I  said, 
slipping  a  half  crown  into  her  ready  fingers.  "  I 
should  very  much  like  to  know  if  any  part  of  the 
old  shutter  is  by  any  chance  in  existence." 

The  maid's  eyes  glistened,  as  she  glanced  sur 
reptitiously  at  the  coin  in  her  hand.  ;<  Wreck's 
down  in  t'  wash'oose,"  she  said. 

"  You're  from  the  Coal-pits  or  the  Mines,"  I 
said,  smiling  as  I  heard  her  dialect. 

A  dim  flush  showed  in  her  sallow  cheek.  "  I'm 
fra  about  there,  sir.  Hast  ever  been  there  ? 
There's  none  like  it." 

"  I've  been  there,"  I  answered,  smiling  again. 
"  There's  some  fine  men  there." 

Her  eyes  lighted  once  more.  "  Happen  thou 
might  like  to  see  wreck  ?  Canst,  if  thou  wish." 

"  Just  what  I  would  like,"  I  answered,  and  the 
maid  turned  and  clattered  down  the  stairs.  Down 
in  the  basement,  leaning  against  the  wall  beside 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  211 

some  tubs,  was  the  wrecked  shutter.  I  brought  it 
out  to  light.  The  hinges  were  gone.  Not  a  bit  of 
iron  showed  upon  it.  I  turned  to  the  silent  maid. 

"  Queer  thing  where  the  hinges  went  ?  "  I  said 
questioningly. 

"  Noa,"  she  replied.    "  See  t' wood-box  there  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  I  answered. 

"  Thot  had  t'hinges;  Michael  took  them  t'day  t' 
shutter  fell." 

Eagerly  I  bent  over  the  rude  wood-box  and 
examined  the  hinges  carefully,  measuring  them 
with  my  handkerchief,  and  comparing  the  size 
with  the  lighter  spots  on  the  shutter,  which  showed 
where  the  hinges  had  been.  There  could  be  little 
doubt  that  what  the  girl  said  was  true.  One  doubt 
remained. 

"  Why  did  not  your  mistress  know  what  became 
of  the  hinges  ?  "  I  asked. 

'  T'  mistress  is  rarely  fogged,  and  doan't 
know  many  a  thing  goes  on,"  the  maid  explained. 
"  But  to  a  man  thot  knows  t'  Coal-pits  —  "  She 
did  not  finish,  but  I  understood,  and  a  second  half 
crown  lighter  in  purse,  I  walked  away. 

All  the  way  home  the  ludicrousnessof  our  twenty- 
four  hour  comedy  of  errors  kept  growing  on  me, 
and  I  startled  more  than  one  passer-by  with  a 
sudden  chuckle.  Tom  and  Dorothy  sprung  up  in 
alarm  as  I  entered  and  leaned  against  the  wall, 
weak  with  laughter. 


212  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

"  Are  you  hurt,  Jim  ?  "  cried  Dorothy,  anxiously 
turning  towards  me. 

"No  !  No  !"  I  gasped.  "  But  the  disappearing 
iron  hinge  of  the  blind  belongs  in  the  same  class 
as  the  dentist's  laboratory.  '  Michael  put  them  on 
t*  wood-box  in  t'  washoose.'  That's  where  they 
disappeared  to." 

The  full  beauty  of  the  situation  suddenly  dawned 
upon  Tom's  mind,  and  he  broke  into  inextinguish 
able  laughter  while  Dorothy,  her  face  lighting  with 
glee,  joined  in,  a  moment  later,  in  silvery  accord. 
The  adventure  of  the  two  young  men  and  the 
young  woman  who  hunted  the  disappearing  shutter 
of  Bloomsbury  ended  with  our  mirth. 

Directly  after  lunch  we  started  off  towards 
Chelsea.  Up  the  embankment,  past  the  Houses 
of  Parliament  and  the  Tate  Gallery,  by  the  broad 
stretches  of  Chelsea  Hospital  where  a  few  old 
pensioners  were  sunning  themselves  on  the  trim 
walks,  our  motor  car  carried  us  to  the  very  edges 
of  the  quaint  old  suburb.  Our  chauffeur  had  never 
heard  of  the  street  named  in  the  clipping,  and  it 
was  only  after  diligent  search  that  we  found  the 
little  back  street,  a  mews,  where  stables  and 
kennels  alternated  with  houses  of  stablemen  and 
farriers,  where  trig  grooms  in  leggings  the  chrysa 
lides,  and  pompous  coachmen  in  severe  livery  the 
full  grown  moths,  met  on  equal  terms. 

At  the  end  of  the  little  street  stood  a  small  public 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  213 

house  for  the  benefit  of  the  Jehus  who  congregated 
in  the  neighborhood.  As  we  passed  it,  Tom 
stopped  the  chauffeur. 

"  I'll  run  in  here,"  he  said,  "  and  see  what  I  can 
find."  In  ten  minutes  he  was  back. 

"  Have  you  found  anything  ?  "  queried  Dorothy, 
leaning  forward. 

Tom  nodded.  "  We'll  leave  the  car  here,"  he 
said  laconically.  "  Come  on  with  me." 

Down  the  little  street  and  through  an  inner  court 
Tom  led  the  way.  At  length  he  entered  a  gate 
whose  rounding  arch  supported  a  quaint  carved 
horse's  head,  that  might  well  have  seen  the  equi 
pages  of  a  century  or  more  ago  lumbering  beneath. 
Within,  was  a  square  paved  courtyard;  straight 
ahead,  a  boarded  stable;  on  the  right,  an  old 
farrier's  shop,  whose  disused  bellows  and  forge 
showed  through  a  dusty  window;  on  the  left,  a 
slatternly  dwelling.  A  sign  on  the  stable  and  the 
shop  stated  the  whole  premises  were  to  let.  "  In 
quire  on  the  left  of  the  yard." 

'  They  told  me  in  the  pub  that  the  sign  hung 
over  the  gateway  with  the  carved  horse's  head," 
said  Tom.  "  It  was  called  the  sign  of  the  three 
horses.  I'm  going  to  see  if  they  know  anything 
about  it  at  the  house." 

Dorothy  and  I  waited  by  the  gateway,  while 
Tom  crossed  the  yard.  As  he  advanced,  the  door 
opened  and  a  tall,  rectangular  woman  came  out, 


214  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

clothespin  in  mouth  and  a  piece  of  washing  in  her 
hands.  A  somewhat  one-sided  conversation  fol 
lowed. 

"  I  want  to  see  the  stable  for  rent,"  said  Tom. 

"  Um  um  um  um,"  responded  the  woman,  from 
her  half  closed  mouth. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  Tom,  "  but  I  don't 
quite  understand." 

Another  mumble  followed,  as  the  woman  right 
about  faced  and  walked  into  the  house.  Tom  cast 
a  comical  look  at  us. 

'  That's  what  comes  of  not  learning  the  language 
of  the  country  you're  going  into,"  he  called,  in  a 
loud  aside.  "  I  can  talk  German,  French  or 
Italian,  read  Latin  and  make  a  try  at  Greek,  but 
I  never  studied  a  word  of  Clothespin." 

As  he  ended,  the  woman  reappeared,  still  grasp 
ing  the  garment  for  the  line,  but  holding  out  as 
well  twro  ponderous  iron  keys.  Tom  took  them  and 
turned  to  us,  simply  remarking,  "  We'll  look  the 
place  over." 

Loft,  stalls  and  cellar  of  the  stable  offered  us 
nothing,  nor  did  we  get  more  from  the  windows 
with  their  view  of  littered  yards.  The  old  farrier's 
shop  looked  better.  Tom  thrust  the  ponderous 
key  into  the  lock  and  threw  back  the  heavy  door. 
Right  where  the  sun  cast  its  gleam  down  the  dusty 
floor  lay  a  little  pile  of  painted  boards.  I  sprang 
forward. 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  215 

"  Sliced  animals,"  I  called  to  the  others,  as  I 
brought  the  six  or  seven  old  boards  forward  and 
began  fitting  them  into  place.  I  had  them  sorted 
and  arranged  in  a  trice.  Bruised  as  they  were  by 
their  fall,  the  three  horses'  heads  on  the  sign  board 
still  showed  clear,  though  the  dimming  effect  of 
time  had  dulled  the  flaring  tints  of  the  rude  artist. 

"  Not  a  nail  in  it  or  a  bit  of  iron,  though  there 
were  six  nail  holes  to  every  board.  This  can't  be 
another  wood-box  hinge  case,"  I  remarked. 

As  we  all  bent  eagerly  over  the  sign,  a  voice  broke 
in  on  us.  '  That  sign  nearly  cost  us  a  pretty 
penny." 

We  straightened  up  quickly.  In  the  doorway 
stood  a  stout,  red-whiskered  man. 

"  I'm  the  agent  for  the  property,"  he  said,  "  I 
heard  you  were  looking  it  over,  so  I  came  across. 
We're  ready  to  put  it  in  good  shape  for  any  de 
sirable  tenant.  There's  few  better  stable  properties 
in  the  Chelsea  mews." 

"  Really,"  said  Tom,  "I'm  not  sure  whether  this 
will  meet  my  needs  or  not.  We've  just  been  looking 
things  over  and  came  upon  this  sign.  It  must  have 
received  a  pretty  severe  blow,  for  every  screw  is 
out  of  it." 

;<  Well,  sir,"  said  the  agent  eagerly,  "  that's  the 
very  strangest  thing  I  ever  saw.  I  saw  the  sign  go 
down,  —  I  was  just  across  the  yard  here  in  that 
corner,  and  I  happened  to  be  looking  out  through 


216  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

the  archway.  There  was  no  wind,  not  a  breath  of 
air  stirring,  and  yet,  all  of  a  sudden,  the  old  sign 
tumbled.  A  man  had  gone  by  not  a  minute  before. 
It  might  just  as  well  hit  him  as  not,  or  hit  me,  for 
that  matter.  And  the  pole  that  held  it,  and  the 
nails  and  hinges  and  everything  must  have  flown 
out  of  it  when  it  struck.  Least,  I  don't  see  what 
else  could  have  happened  to  'em.  They  weren't 
there  when  I  came  along,  and  they  were  good  iron, 
too.  I  looked  that  sign  over,  myself,  inside  of  two 
months,  to  make  sure  things  were  all  right." 

Our  voluble  friend  stopped  for  breath.  As  Tom 
addressed  him,  I  spoke  in  an  aside  to  Dorothy. 

"  I  always  supposed  years  ago  that  the  English 
were  the  most  silent  race  on  earth,  but  I'm  finding 
out  my  mistake  now.  It's  the  upper  classes  that 
are  silent  and  the  country  people.  Your  Lon 
doner  can  talk  a  blue  streak,  once  he  gets  going." 

Tom  had  stepped  out  into  the  yard  with  the 
agent  to  give  us  a  further  chance  to  look  over  the 
sign,  and  we  were  just  about  to  make  another  ex 
amination  of  the  nail  holes,  when  Tom  sung  out  to 
us,  "  Come  out  here,  will  you  ?  " 

Out  we  came,  to  see  the  agent  hurrying  away 
and  Tom,  with  key  in  hand,  ready  to  lock  up. 

"  I  really  believe  we've  got  something,  this  time," 
he  said,  in  a  low  voice.  "  It  seems  this  chap  is  an 
understrapper  of  the  agent  of  the  Duke  of  Moir, 
who  owns  all  this  property  about  here.  He  tells 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  217 

me  that  he  let  three  rooms  to  a  man  named 
Cragent,  who  occupied  them  as  a  workshop  or  a 
laboratory  off  and  on  for  some  months,  and  left 
about  two  days  ago.  Sometimes  he'd  be  gone  for 
months  at  a  time.  The  man's  gone  off  for  the  keys 
now.  He's  going  to  let  us  go  through  the  place.  He 
tells  me  that  Cragent  probably  made  some  changes, 
though  he  hasn't  been  inside  the  place  yet." 

Tom  ended,  the  agent  returned  with  the  keys, 
and  we  followed  on.  Just  beyond  the  mews  on  the 
adjoining  street,  the  agent  mounted  some  stairs 
beside  a  little  bakeshop. 

The  red-whiskered  man  slipped  a  key  in  the 
lock  and  threw  open  the  door.  Eagerly  we  pressed 
in.  The  bare  rooms  showed  some  slight  litter  left 
by  their  former  occupant,  wrapping  paper,  broken 
bits  of  insulated  wire,  a  shelf  which  showed  behind 
it  heavy  disconnected  wires  which  must  have  led  to 
a  motor  generator,  a  sink  with  high  goose  neck 
tap. 

"  It  was  a  laboratory,  all  right,"  I  said  to  Doro 
thy,  who  nodded  and  passed  by  into  the  third 
room.  She  crossed  directly  to  the  rear  window. 

"  Look  here,  Jim,"  she  called  softly. 

Tom  and  the  agent  were  left  behind  in  the  large 
centre  room.  I  followed  Dorothy's  pointing 
finger  with  my  eyes,  as  I  reached  her  side.  There, 
between  the  buildings,  showed  a  narrow,  open 
strip,  which  ended  in  the  shadow  of  a  dark  arch, 


218  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

crowned  by  a  rudely  carved  horse's  head.  It  was 
the  arch  where  the  sign  of  the  "  Three  Horses  " 
had  hung. 

"  If  this  was  the  man's  laboratory,  his  destruc 
tive  power  could  have  escaped  from  this  window," 
murmured  Dorothy,  "  gone  straight  through,  and 
attacked  that  sign,  without  meeting  iron  anywhere 
else  on  the  way.  Oh,  Jim,  do  you  suppose  this 
room  corresponded  to  Dr.  Heidenmuller's  wooden 
room  ?  The  man  might  have  wooden  panels  to  the 
windows  and  a  double  door,  and  taken  them  down 
when  he  left." 

I  shook  my  head.  "  If  enough  of  that  deadly 
stuff  got  away  to  destroy  the  iron  of  the  sign,  it 
would  destroy  every  nail  inside  the  room,  and  here 
are  iron  nails  holding  the  window  casing  together." 

"  That's  right,"  said  Dorothy,  as  she  inspected 
the  nail  heads.  '  Those  do  look  like  iron  nails." 
Then  she  broke  square  off.  "  Got  your  knife  in 
your  pocket,  Jim  ?  " 

Silently  I  produced  and  opened  it. 

"  Now  try  to  pry  out  that  nail,"  she  commanded, 
pointing  to  one  on  the  window  casing. 

I  obeyed,  with  the  full  expectation  of  breaking 
my  knife  short  off.  To  my  utter  surprise,  the  blade 
cut  straight  through  the  nail,  with  less  resistance 
than  the  wood  around  it  offered.  The  nail  head 
was  shorn  away.  Dorothy  and  I  sprang  at  the 
same  moment  to  pick  it  up,  and  we  met  in  a 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  219 

sudden  collision.  Only  by  the  extraordinary  pres 
ence  of  mind  which  I  showed  in  clasping  Dorothy 
closely  in  my  arms  was  a  complete  spill  averted. 
A  soft  tendril  of  the  sweet  spring  woods  swept  my 
cheek,  the  velvet  petal  of  a  flower  brushed  by  my 
lips,  and  my  whole  body  was  aflame.  Scarcely  the 
fraction  of  a  second  was  Dorothy  in  my  arms,  yet 
it  seemed  as  if  eons  of  life  had  passed.  As  we 
scrambled  to  our  feet,  I  could  feel  my  face  blazing. 
I  looked  at  Dorothy.  Her  face  was  as  suffused  as 
mine  felt.  Just  then  Tom  entered  and  stood  gazing 
at  us  with  a  quizzical  smile.  "  Head  on  collision," 
he  exclaimed,  in  mock  alarm.  "  Another  big 
accident."  Not  a  word  did  Dorothy  reply  to  his 
badinage.  She  walked  in  an  especially  stately 
fashion  to  the  window  and  stood  gazing  out,  while 
I  busied  myself  energetically  in  hunting  once  more 
for  the  end  of  the  nail  which  my  knife  had  shorn 
off.  It  was  lying  just  by  my  side,  and  as  I  picked 
it  up,  it  crumbled. 

"  Why,  these  nail  heads  are  putty,"  I  cried  in 
amazement.  "  They're  simply  imitations  of  nails." 

In  a  minute  Tom's  knife  was  in  his  hand,  and, 
quite  forgetting  everything  else,  he  was  hacking 
away  at  a  point  where  another  nail  head  showed. 

"  Putty  on  top  to  represent  an  old  nail  head, 
and  wooden  peg  doing  the  business  below,"  he 
ejaculated.  :<  I  don't  believe  there's  a  bit  of  iron 
in  the  place." 


220  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

Tom  dug  at  nail  head  after  nail  head,  and  each 
flew  off.  "  Dorothy,  it's  a  wooden  room,"  he  cried. 

"  Oh,  really,"  said  Dorothy,  in  an  entirely  life 
less  monotone. 

"  And  there  is  the  horse's  head  out  of  that  win 
dow.  You  must  have  been  blind  not  to  have  seen 
it  before." 

"  We  did  see  it,"  I  said  testily.  "  But  you're  so 
confoundedly  impetuous  you  rush  ahead  before 
anybody  can  tell  you  anything." 

Tom  paid  but  slight  attention  to  my  remarks. 
He  was  up  on  a  window  sill,  prying  with  his  knife. 
"  I've  got  it,"  he  exclaimed  finally  in  triumph. 
"  Here's  the  place  where  they  hung  the  wooden 
shutters  on  with  wooden  pegs,  and  they  painted 
and  puttied  them  over  when  they  took  the  panels 
down." 

He  leaped  down  and  started  towards  the  other 
room.  "  I'm  going  to  find  out  what  the  agent 
knows,"  he  called  back  over  his  shoulder. 

Dorothy  still  stood  by  the  window,  the  later 
afternoon  sun  making  a  golden  halo  of  her  some 
what  rumpled  hair.  As  I  watched  her,  there 
seemed  to  be  something  a  trace  less  energetic  in 
her  posture.  She  was  leaning  against  the  window 
and  gazing  fixedly  outward.  She  did  not  notice  me 
at  all.  For  ten  minutes  we  remained  in  a  silence 
broken  only  when  Tom  returned,  waving  a  dirty 
piece  of  paper  triumphantly. 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  221 

"  The  agent  didn't  know  where  the  chap  had 
gone,"  he  cried,  "  but  I've  got  a  line  on  him,  any 
way.  Here's  the  address  of  a  dealer  in  electrical 
supplies,  left  in  a  corner  on  a  scrap  of  paper.  We'll 
drive  straight  to  the  city  and  look  him  up." 

Down  the  embankment  the  way  we  came,  past 
the  Savoy  and  the  Temple,  through  Queen  Victoria 
Street,  and  by  the  Bank  to  Bishopsgate  Street  we 
ran.  Dorothy  sat  beside  me  on  the  rear  seat  of  the 
car,  Tom  next  the  driver.  All  the  way  in,  she  gave 
me  hardly  a  word,  scarcely  replied  to  Tom's 
occasional  chatter.  I  had  never  seen  her  tongue 
so  strangely  silent,  her  cheek  so  blushed  with 
morning  crimson,  nor  had  I  ever  seen  her  eyes 
more  deeply  thoughtful,  more  softly  beautiful. 

We  drew  up  before  the  supply  store  and  Tom 
hurried  in,  followed  by  Dorothy  and  myself.  He 
wanted  some  wire  of  the  same  type  as  that  last 
ordered  by  Mr.  Cragent.  Could  they  look  up  the 
order  and  let  him  have  it.  Certainly.  No  diffi 
culty  at  all.  The  clerk  went  back  to  examine  the 
order  book,  and  I  followed  by  his  side.  In  the 
little  dingy  office  at  the  rear  stood  a  high  desk,  with 
the  tall  books  above  in  an  ordered  row.  Down 
came  C.  "Cragent,  Page  116,"  said  the  index. 
As  the  clerk  turned  to  the  page,  I  glanced  over  his 
shoulder.  "Mr.  H.  Cragent."  The  Chelsea 
address  was  crossed  out  with  a  line ;  written  below 
were  the  words,  "  9  Cheapside."  That  was  all  I 


222  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

wanted.  I  nodded  to  Tom,  as  he  gave  a  hurried 
order  for  the  wire,  and  we  were  free  for  the  new 
address. 

'*  This  is  the  right  one,'*  said  Dorothy  quietly, 
as  we  left  the  shop. 

"  How  do  you  know  ?  "  asked  Tom.  "  It  looks 
good,  I'll  admit,  but  I  don't  see  how  you  can  tell." 

"  I  don't  know  how  I  can  tell,"  answered  Doro 
thy,  in  low  tones,  "  but  I  feel  sure,  this  time,  as  I 
haven't  before." 

In  ten  minutes  we  were  at  the  corner  nearest  to 
the  new  address,  had  left  the  car,  and  were  walking 
up  the  busy  street. 

The  sign  above  the  door  at  9  Cheapside  pro 
claimed  a  haberdasher's  shop  within.  The  second 
story  showed  a  dealer  in  notions,  and  the  third  and 
fourth  held  no  signs. 

'  There  are  leads  from  the  power  circuit  running 
into  the  fourth  story,"  said  Tom,  as  we  passed. 
"  Here's  the  door.  No  business  cards  for  anything 
above  the  second.  Come  on,  let's  try  next  door." 

Up  the  stairs  by  a  milliner's  shop,  past  the  third 
story,  to  the  fourth,  we  climbed.  A  wing  ran  back, 
with  a  gallery  that  opened  on  one  side.  At  the 
rear  was  a  short  flight  of  steps,  with  a  scuttle  at  the 
top,  which  opened  out  on  the  roof.  By  good 
fortune,  this  was  unlocked,  and  we  climbed  through, 
out  on  the  flat  roof,  into  the  maze  of  chimneys. 
Tom  was  a  little  ahead  and  reached  the  parapet 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  223 

on  the  side  of  Number  9,  while  we  were  still  at  the 
scuttle.  As  he  turned  to  the  edge,  he  wheeled  and 
beckoned  to  us  expressively.  We  hurried  forward. 
Below,  on  the  fourth  story,  three  shuttered  win 
dows  faced  us.  In  the  centre  one,  the  wind  had 
blown  half  the  blind  open.  Behind  it,  we  gazed  on 
a  solid  wooden  panel,  which  filled  the  window 
from  top  to  bottom,  from  side  to  side,  behind  the 
glass. 

"  An  exact  duplicate  of  the  window  panels  of 
Heidenmuller's  wooden  room,"  I  whispered.  Tom 
and  Dorothy  nodded  silently. 


CHAPTER   XVI 

QUIETLY  we  drew  back  from  the  parapet  and, 
closing  the  scuttle  behind  us,  started  down  the 
narrow  stairs.  At  their  base,  Dorothy  stopped 
suddenly.  As  Tom  came  up,  he  noticed  her  delay 
and  paused  with  his  hand  on  the  latch.  "  What  is 
it,  girl  ?  "  he  asked,  almost  tenderly. 

"  You  think  we  ought  to  go  on,  do  you  ?  "  asked 
Dorothy  hesitatingly. 

"  Of  course  we're  going  on,"  said  Tom. 
"  There's  no  question  about  it.  That's  what  we're 
here  for.  What's  the  matter,  anyway  ?  " 

"  Frankly,  I  don't  know,"  said  Dorothy  slowly. 
"  If  we  come  through  this  all  right,  I'll  try  never  to 
say  a  word  again,  but  somehow,  —  somehow  —  " 
She  broke  off  without  finishing. 

"  Cheer  up,  old  girl,"  comforted  Tom,  putting 
his  arm  about  her  waist.  "  What  should  we  do 
without  your  valiant  spirit  ?  " 

I  stood  there  mute.  This  was  a  new  Dorothy,  a 
silent,  questioning  woman  different  from  the  one  I 
knew,  and  yet  like  her.  I  could  not  seem  to 
collect  my  scattered  wits  enough  to  be  of  any 
service. 

224 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  225 

With  an  effort,  Dorothy  squared  her  shoulders. 
"  Come  on,"  she  said  firmly,  and  we  started  out  for 
the  door,  Tom  and  I  a  couple  of  steps  behind. 

"  Good  for  you,"  I  whispered,  as  we  turned  in 
beside  the  haberdasher's  shop  and  started  up  the 
stairs,  at  whose  top  we  were  forced  to  believe  stood 
the  laboratory  of  the  man  we  sought,  the  workshop 
of  the  man  who  was  trying  to  stop  all  war. 

As  we  reached  the  second  landing,  Tom  turned 
to  me.  "  This  is  the  queerest  mixture  of  fireproof 
and  firetrap  I  ever  heard  of,"  he  ejaculated.  "  Iron 
stairs  and  wooden  landings,  with  two  doors  on 
each  side.  Wonder  if  it  keeps  on  like  this  all  the 
way  up  ?  "  It  did ;  iron  stairs  and  wooden  landings 
succeeded  each  other,  till  the  fourth  story  showed 
two  doors,  one  on  either  side  of  a  landing  dimly 
illuminated  by  a  skylight. 

"  It's  one  of  the  two,"  whispered  Tom. 

He  tried  one  door  softly,  —  locked.  Tried  the 
other.  To  my  surprise  it  opened,  and  a  bare  room 
much  like  that  where  Tom  and  I  had  waited 
through  the  weary  hours  in  Bloomsbury  met  our 
view.  Just  at  that  moment  we  heard  a  footstep 
clang  on  the  iron  stair  below,  and  around  the  bend 
the  handle  of  a  broom  came  into  sight,  followed  by 
an  arm  clad  in  the  sleeve  of  a  coarse  jumper.  The 
janitor  halted  in  amazement  as  he  saw  our  phalanx 
of  three  standing  in  the  empty  room.  Before  he 
could  open  his  mouth,  I  addressed  him. 


226  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

"  I  want  to  rent  this  room,"  I  said.  "  It  suits 
me  in  many  ways.  What's  the  rent  ?  " 

"  Four  pund  a  month,  sir,  thank  you,"  came  the 
answer. 

"  Anybody  else  on  this  same  story  ?  "   I  asked. 

"  Just  a  Mr.  Cragent,  thank  you,  sir,  who  has  a 
workshop  across  the  way.  He's  out  for  good  to 
day,  but  he's  been  in  and  out  quite  a  bit  the  few 
days  he's  been  there,  thank  you,  sir.  I  think  he'll 
make  you  no  trouble,  sir." 

I  looked  at  Tom  and  Dorothy,  who  signed 
affirmatively.  "  I'll  take  it,"  I  said.  "  Shall  I  have 
to  see  the  agent  ?  " 

"  No,  sir,  thank  you,"  answered  the  man,  "  I'm 
the  acting  agent  for  this  one  building." 

"  Very  well,  then.  Here  you  are."  I  handed 
over  four  pounds  for  the  first  month's  rent,  and 
turned  back  to  survey  my  new  found  quarters  more 
carefully.  It  was  evidently  one  of  two  front  rooms 
looking  out  on  the  street.  The  other  front  room 
with  the  rooms  in  the  wing  which  stretched  back 
must  belong  to  the  mysterious  Cragent.  Sullied 
with  fog  and  smoke,  our  place  was  a  typical  Lon 
don  office,  whose  gray  marble  mantel  and  grate  was 
the  only  relief  to  the  naked  walls. 

The  janitor,  without  a  sign  of  wonder  at  our 
sudden  invasion  of  his  premises,  turned  with  his 
broom  and  clanged  down  the  iron  stairs.  Tom, 
Dorothy  and  I  went  inside  and  nearly  closed  the 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  227 

door,  leaving  it  open  a  crack  for  the  purpose  of 
observation. 

"  As  long  as  we  may  have  to  be  here  off  and  on 
for  a  week  or  more,  we  may  just  as  well  be  com 
fortable  about  it,"  said  Tom,  in  a  low  tone.  "  Two 
of  us  can  stay  here,  while  the  other  one  goes  and 
gets  some  chairs  and  a  little  coal.  You  and  Dorothy 
keep  on  the  lookout,  while  I  get  enough  furnishings 
to  make  us  comfortable  for  a  few  hours." 

"  Sure  thing,"  I  said,  my  heart  leaping  up  at  the 
chance  of  a  short  tete-a-tete  with  Dorothy. 

"  I'm  going  with  you,  Tom,"  said  Dorothy. 
"  Jim  can  watch  alone,  all  right,"  and  she  started 
out  on  the  landing  ahead  of  her  brother. 

Tom  threw  one  glance  at  me.  "  See  you 
shortly,"  he  said,  and  followed.  I  resumed  my 
place  of  watching. 

Half  an  hour  passed,  and  Tom  and  Dorothy  were 
back  with  porters  carrying  a  table,  chairs  and  coal. 
In  ten  minutes  after  their  arrival,  there  was  a 
brisk  fire  in  the  grate,  we  were  comfortably  dis 
posed  about  it,  and  the  porters  had  departed. 
Dorothy  sat  gazing  into  the  fire  with  that  same 
dreamy  quiet  which  had  so  characterized  her 
appearance  for  the  last  few  days.  I  sat  watching 
Dorothy,  and  Tom  was  busy  lighting  his  pipe. 
Suddenly  I  heard  a  slight  and  repeated  noise. 
With  a  sign  to  Tom,  I  rose  and  tiptoed  to  the  door. 
There  was  no  one  coming  up.  I  went  to  the  land- 


228  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

ing  and  listened.  No  more  result.  Yet  I  had  surely 
heard  footsteps.  I  went  back  into  the  room  and 
closed  the  door.  Tom  was  beside  me  in  a  moment, 
pipe  in  hand,  but,  as  I  cast  a  hurried  glance  about 
me,  I  saw  that  Dorothy  had  not  stirred.  She  still 
sat,  her  head  on  her  hand,  gazing  into  the  glowing 
coals.  The  footsteps  were  louder  now,  and  I  went 
to  one  boundary  wall  and  then  to  another.  There 
was  some  one  pacing  up  and  down  in  Cragent's 
rooms.  Tom  was  beside  me  as  I  bent  to  listen,  his 
face  the  picture  of  eagerness. 

'  There  must  have  been  some  one  in  there  all  the 
time,"  I  whispered.  "  But  if  there  was,  I  should 
have  thought  he  would  have  been  disturbed  by 
our  moving  in  and  would  have  come  out." 

"  The  janitor  told  me  that  Cragent  had  not  come 
in,  and  that  there  was  no  one  working  with  him," 
muttered  Tom.  "  I  don't  see  through  it." 

Back  and  forth  went  the  steps.  Tom  put  his 
pipe  in  his  mouth  and  began  smoking  with  long 
regular  puffs. 

"  I  believe  there's  another  entrance  to  these 
rooms,"  he  said  finally.  "  I'm  going  out  to  recon 
noitre."  Silently  and  carefully  he  tiptoed  out, 
without  Dorothy's  knowing  of  his  departure.  I 
brought  my  chair  over  nearer  the  wall  and  sat  down 
to  wait. 

A  hush  followed,  broken  only  by  the  incessant 
low  roar  of  the  city,  that  roar  which  to  the  attentive 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  229 

ear  in  its  deep,  firm  bass  is  wholly  differentiated 
from  the  shrill  staccato  of  New  York,  the  lower, 
swifter  tones  of  Paris,  or  the  middle-toned,  ordered 
hum  of  Berlin.  On  the  other  side  of  the  wall  the 
steps  went  on,  one,  two,  three,  four,  five,  six,  seven, 
eight,  nine,  ten,  eleven,  twelve,  turn,  one,  two, 
three,  four,  five,  six,  seven,  eight,  nine,  ten,  eleven, 
twelve,  turn.  On  and  on,  with  unvarying  regu 
larity,  marched  the  heavy,  thrusting  step  that 
reverberated  over  the  old  floor.  Dorothy  sat 
motionless,  her  eyes  still  fixed  upon  the  fire,  obliv 
ious  to  the  world,  her  soft  hair  contrasting  with 
the  rich  fur  of  her  coat  lying  draped  over  the  back 
of  an  old  chair.  I  heard  the  slow  creak  of  an  open 
ing  door,  and  went  softly  toward  a  beckoning  arm 
in  gray. 

"  I  won't  come  in,"  whispered  Tom  excitedly, 
"  I've  got  the  trick.  There's  another  entrance  to 
his  rooms.  We'll  cage  him  between  us  and  get  a 
good  look  at  him,  anyway.  There's  a  little  office 
corresponding  to  this  on  the  other  side,  where  I  can 
wait.  You  stay  by  the  bay  window  and  watch  for 
me.  If  he  comes  my  way,  wave  to  me.  If  he  comes 
yours,  I'll  wave  to  you.  Gee  !  I  haven't  had  more 
fun  for  an  age." 

Off  Tom  travelled,  down  the  stairs,  walking  with 
an  exaggerated  caution,  and  I  turned  in,  smiling. 
Dorothy  had  not  roused  at  the  interruption.  I 
began  to  worry  a  bit  about  this  strange  abstracted- 


230  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

ness.  Could  she  be  quite  well  ?  No,  that  was 
quite  foolish,  for  she  seemed  the  picture  of  health. 
Then  the  footsteps  took  my  attention  for  a  mo 
ment,  —  one,  two,  three,  four,  five,  six,  seven, 
eight,  nine,  ten,  eleven,  twelve,  turn,  and  repeat. 
It  was  like  the  trampling  of  feet  in  the  "  Tale  of 
Two  Cities."  The  single  footstep  seemed  to  swell 
into  a  roar  of  charging  troops.  Was  this  walker 
the  man  who  was  trying  to  stop  all  war  ?  Were  the 
footsteps  above  and  around  those  of  the  thousands 
he  had  slain  or  that  he  was  to  slay  ?  Were  we 
marching  among  the  ghostly  shades  of  the  future  ? 
Were  we  in  that  crowding  throng  ?  What  dreadful 
mystery  lay  behind  the  wooden  panels  of  those 
windows  ?  I  fell  to  speculating  on  the  appearance 
of  the  stranger  behind  the  wall,  and  always  the 
form  of  the  man  who  was  trying  to  stop  all  war 
took  on  the  slight  graceful  form  of  a  Southerner, 
and  the  face  was  the  clear  swarthy  face  of  Regnier. 
Try  as  I  might,  I  could  not  give  the  shadowy  man 
we  pursued  any  other  face  or  form.  The  footsteps 
went  on  and  on. 

Dorothy  aroused.  "  Where's  Tom  ?  "  she  said, 
looking  around. 

"  He's  away  for  a  moment,"  I  said,  slightly 
mendaciously.  "  He'll  be  back  shortly." 

"  He  ought  to  have  told  me  he  was  going,"  she 
said,  a  little  impatiently,  but  her  reverie  proved 
too  strong  for  her  to  escape,  and  she  sank  back  into 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  231 

her  dreamy  abstraction.  The  twilight  began  to 
come  down  as  we  sat  watching  and  as  I  listened. 
As  it  fell,  the  fire's  rose  played  yet  more  softly  on 
Dorothy's  beautiful  hands  lying  on  the  arm  of  her 
chair,  showed  a  bit  of  rounded  cheek  and  a  trans 
lucent  shell-like  ear.  Gradually  I  forgot  my  whole 
mission.  The  man  became  a  ghost  and  faded 
silently  away.  Tom  waiting  on  tiptoe  in  the  office 
next  door  was  quite  forgotten.  Dorothy  and  I  and 
the  fire.  This  new  Dorothy,  dreamy,  quiet,  al 
most  clinging,  with  those  new  depths  in  her  eyes, 
was  carrying  me  quite  beyond  myself. 

"  Dorothy,"  I  said,  in  a  low  voice,  "  Dorothy." 

She  turned.    "  What  is  it,  Jim  ?  "  she  said. 

I  tried  to  speak  but  I  could  not.  The  rushing 
words  overwhelmed  me.  I  could  not  make  myself 
intelligible,  and  I  sat  there  shivering  with  the 
intensity  of  my  feeling,  and  yet  unable  to  say  what 
I  wished.  I  found  my  voice  again.  "  Dorothy," 
I  began,  "  I  want  to  tell  you." 

Dorothy's  eyes  met  mine  for  a  moment,  and  then 
her  long  lashes  fell.  "  I've  been  thinking,"  she 
stammered  —  "  thinking  —  thinking  "  —  I  bent 
forward  eagerly  — "  of  our  old  home  on  Long 
Island  Sound."  The  words  came  with  a  rush,  as 
if  she  had  just  seized  them  from  the  air.  *  You 
never  went  down  there,  but  it  is  the  loveliest  place," 
she  went  on  hurriedly.  ' '  The  sea,  in  a  great 
crescent  bay,  paved  with  the  whitest  sand,  and  an 


232  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

old  colonial  house  on  a  little  rise."  She  was  talking 
at  top  speed  now. 

"  But,  Dorothy,"  I  broke  in,  "  I  want  you  to 
know —  " 

She  gave  me  no  chance  to  finish.  "  Tom  has  a 
laboratory  that  he  has  fitted  up  down  by  the  shore," 
she  went  on,  still  more  swiftly,  the  words  fairly 
tumbling  over  each  other,  "and  we  work  there 
when  we're  not  off  on  the  Black  Arrow.  When  we 
get  back,  I'm  going  straight  down;  I  want  to  see 
the  place  so  badly." 

"  Dorothy,"  I  began  again. 

"  Oh,  and  did  you  see  the  account  of  the  recep 
tion  at  the  Ambassador's,"  said  Dorothy,  as  hastily 
as  before.  "  They  had  the  whole  thing  twisted 
upside  down;  names  all  tangled  up.  They  got 
Tom's  name  as  Professor  Thomas  Orrington,  and 
you  as  James."  She  stopped  short. 

"  How  did  they  get  yours  ?  "  I  asked  eagerly. 

"  Did  you  see  that  they  are  tearing  up  the  em 
bankment  down  by  the  obelisk  ?  "  was  the  ex 
tremely  pertinent  reply.  As  all  three  of  us  had 
spent  a  quarter  of  an  hour  a  day  or  two  before, 
watching  those  same  operations,  it  seemed  prob 
able  that  I  had  seen  them. 

"  But,  Dorothy,"  I  pleaded.  "  Just  a  minute,  I 
want  to  —  " 

Dorothy  sprung  from  her  chair  and  started  for 
the  door.  "  I'm  going  to  find  Tom,"  she  said. 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  233 

"Stop,"  I  called  in  a  low  voice.  "'The  man'  is 
on  the  other  side  of  the  partition  walking  up  and 
down.  Listen !  " 

Dorothy  stood  still  for  a  moment  in  the  very 
poise  of  flight,  and  we  both  listened  intently.  The 
roar  of  the  city  was  the  only  sound.  The  measured 
footsteps  had  ceased.  When  they  had  stopped  I 
had  no  idea.  I  had  proved  an  unfaithful  watcher. 

"  Then,  for  heaven's  sake,  where's  Tom  ?  "  I 
cried,  as  I  rushed  to  the  window. 

Dorothy,  surprised  from  her  attitude,  followed 
me.  I  gazed  from  the  window  up  and  down  the 
house  fronts  and  street.  Tom  was  nowhere  in 
sight.  Dorothy  leaned  forward  beside  me  to  look 
out  and  in  the  intoxication  of  her  immediate 
presence  every  idea  beside  my  wish  to  tell  her  of 
my  love  was  swept  away.  I  seized  her  hand. 

"  Dorothy,"  I  exclaimed,  "  you  must  and  shall 
hear  what  I  am  going  to  say." 

Her  hand,  at  first  fluttering  and  striving  to 
escape,  gave  up  its  struggle,  and  she  stood  silent, 
listening,  with  averted  head. 

"  Dorothy,"  I  began  again. 

At  that  very  moment  the  door  flew  open  and 
Tom,  red  and  breathless,  dashed  into  the  room. 
Dorothy  sprang  towards  him  like  a  startled  fawn, 
and  I  was  left  with  outstretched  hand,  the  modern 
Tantalus  of  London.  Tom  was  too  excited  to 
notice  our  positions. 


234  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

"  Well,  I  must  say  you  are  a  pretty  pair,"  he 
exclaimed.  "  All  this  work  and  trouble  gone  for 
nothing,  because  you  wouldn't  take  a  little  bit  of 
care  at  the  end.  You  call  yourself  a  newspaper 
man.  There's  only  one  department  you  could 
handle  and  that's  the  Obituary  column." 

"  What's  the  matter  ?  "  I  asked,  coming  down 
to  earth. 

"  Matter,"  cried  Tom  disgustedly,  "  the  whole 
thing's  up  so  far  as  this  clue  is  concerned,  and  we've 
got  to  start  in  all  over  again.  I've  seen  '  the  man/ 
and  if  you  had  been  even  reasonably  alert  you'd 
have  seen  him  too,  and  we  would  have  him 
trapped." 

"  You've  seen '  the  man.'  Are  you  sure  ?  "  asked 
Dorothy  breathlessly. 

Tom  nodded  gravely.  "  I  have,  and  I  think  for 
some  reason  that  he  knew  me,"  he  answered  more 
slowly.  ''  When  I  left  you  I  went  over  to  the  office 
on  the  other  side  and  waited.  I  sat  just  where  I 
could  see  if  any  one  opened  on  my  side.  I  had 
been  there  perhaps  half  an  hour  when  the  door 
opened,  and  a  man  in  a  slouch  hat,  whose  face  was 
hidden  in  the  dim  twilight  of  the  hall,  stepped  out. 
Just  as  he  caught  sight  of  me,  he  jumped  back  and 
locked  the  door.  *  That's  the  time  for  Jim,'  I  said 
to  myself,  and  ran  to  the  window  and  waved.  I 
could  have  waved  my  arm  off,  I  believe,  and  you 
would  never  have  known  it,  so  when  I  realized  that, 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  235 

I  hurried  down  and  over  to  these  stairs.  On  the 
third  flight,  I  heard  steps  coming  down  the  fourth. 
I  came  up  very  softly  and  there,  just  descending, 
was  the  man  in  the  slouch  hat.  When  he  saw  me, 
he  threw  up  his  arm  across  his  face,  said  what 
sounded  to  me  like  'You  again,'  and  backed  away 
into  the  darkness  of  the  corner.  I  followed,  but 
before  I  could  reach  him,  a  door  behind  him  flew 
open  and  he  dashed  through,  slamming  it  in  my 
face.  I  flew  against  the  door  and  it  gave.  By  the 
time  I  was  in  the  room  he  was  across  it  and  out  the 
other  door.  I  followed  him  down  the  stairs  but 
lost  him  in  the  street.  If  you  people  had  been  half 
decently  on  the  watch,  we'd  have  had  something, 
but  now  he  knows  we're  after  him  and  he'll  simply 
disappear  from  here.  But  I  believe  I've  seen  that 
chap  somewhere,  before.  There  was  a  queer 
familiarity  about  him,  and  what  did  he  mean  by, 
*  You  again  ? '  It's  barely  possible  that  your  old 
theory  may  be  right,  Jim,  or  it  may  be  that  you 
have  driven  Regnier  so  into  my  head  that  I  looked 
to  find  him  in  a  man  I  don't  know  at  all." 

!f  Well,  I  know,"  said  Dorothy,  with  a  sudden 
reversion  to  her  old  independent  spirit.  "  It  isn't. 
But  how  did  the  man  happen  to  have  keys  in  his 
hand  for  those  doors  on  the  story  below.  I  don't 
understand  that." 

"  I  don't  know,  I'm  sure,"  said  Tom.  "  I  was 
in  too  much  of  a  hurry  to  get  at  the  chap  to  pay  any 


236  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

attention  to  the  way  he  unlocked  the  doors.  Of 
course  there  is  a  bare  chance  that  the  fellow  may 
be  a  harmless  citizen  who  mistook  me  for  either  a 
highwayman  or  a  lunatic." 

"  Not  with  the  wooden  panels  on  the  windows," 
said  Dorothy.  "  Let's  go  down  and  look  at  the 
doors." 

Regretfully  I  locked  the  door  and  left  the  bright 
fire  and  bare-walled  room  where  Dorothy  had  come 
so  near  to  listening  to  me.  I  was  disappointed,  — 
of  course  I  was  disappointed  at  my  carelessness  in 
losing  the  man  I  sought,  but  —  Dorothy's  hand 
had  lain  in  mine  without  struggling  that  last 
instant  of  time  before  Tom  came  in.  There  was 
some  balm  in  Gilead.  Yet  delays  are  dangerous, 
and  I  felt  I  must  not  lose  time  in  following  up  any 
advantage  gained. 

As  I  turned  the  corner  of  the  stairs,  I  heard  a 
low  exclamation  from  Dorothy  and  Tom's  ex 
pressive  whistle.  They  were  bending  over  an  open 
door,  examining  the  lock  with  a  match,  which 
Tom  held  shielded  between  his  palms.  As  I 
joined  them,  Tom  pointed  without  comment  at 
the  place  where  the  lock  had  been.  Its  bare  wood 
showed  lighter  surfaces,  as  the  signs  had  showed 
the  marks  of  the  handiwork  of  "the  man, "and  nail 
holes  that  told  of  disappearing  metal. 

"  How's  that  for  a  pick  lock,"  said  Tom.  "  The 
other  one  was  opened  in  just  the  same  way. 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  237 

Cragent  is  the  man  and  I  saw  him,  but  couldn't 
reach  him.  What  a  control  be  must  have  over  his 
instrument  to  be  able  to  destroy  a  battleship  and 
open  the  lock  of  a  door  by  means  of  disappearing 
metal." 

Dorothy  shuddered.  "  It's  dark  here  and  cold. 
I  want  to  go  back  to  the  hotel,"  she  said  a  little 
tremulously.  "  I'll  be  all  right  in  the  morning,  and 
I'll  go  with  you  after  *  the  man,'  but  now  I'm 
tired  —  tired." 

I  think  the  horror  of  the  thing  shadowed  us  all  a 
bit  in  that  gloomy  old  London  house.  The  dark 
ness  of  the  corners,  the  man  who  had  slain  so  many 
of  his  fellow  men  separated  from  us  by  a  single 
partition  seemed  gruesome  and  deadening.  Those 
footsteps  pacing  up  and  down,  did  they  mean  more 
slaughter,  new  inventions  ?  Was  the  mysterious 
man  whom  we  had  sought,  the  familiar  figure  Tom 
had  imagined;  and  dominating  thought  of  all,  did 
Dorothy's  hand  rest  in  mine  without  struggling 
that  last  moment  ?  There  was  enough  to  keep 
my  thoughts  at  work  on  the  way  home,  even 
though  Dorothy  persistently  gazed  from  the 
window  of  the  four-wheeler  and  uttered  never  a 
word. 

As  we  left  the  carriage,  Tom  broke  silence. 
"  If  you  feel  like  it,  Jim,  I  think  it  wouldn't  be  a 
bad  plan  to  look  up  Hamerly  to-night,  and  see 
what  he  says  to  all  this." 


238  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

"  A  good  idea,"  I  said.  "  I'll  get  a  hasty  bite  and 
run  up  there.  No  use  in  wasting  time." 

"  All  right,"  said  Tom,  and  Dorothy,  as  we 
parted,  gave  me  one  shy  glance  that  sent  me  away 
in  a  golden  maze  of  joy  and  hope. 

Hamerly  was  out  when  I  arrived  at  his  lodgings, 
called  away  suddenly  for  a  couple  of  days,  the 
maid  reported.  On  my  way  back,  however,  I 
came  to  one  very  definite  conclusion.  Hamerly 
must  have  seen  the  man  face  to  face  in  Dr.  Heiden- 
muller's  laboratory.  He  could  settle  one  vexed 
question  anyway.  I  was  going  to  find  a  picture  of 
Regnier  if  there  was  one  to  be  had. 

I  reached  the  Savoy  to  find  word  from  Tom  that 
he  and  Dorothy  had  gone  over  to  the  Cecil  to  see 
some  friends.  I  followed,  leaving  word  at  the 
office  that  I  had  gone.  As  I  stood  in  the  corridor 
waiting,  a  page  came  by,  calling  my  name  for  the 
telephone.  I  took  up  the  receiver  with  a  deep 
thrill  of  anticipation.  "  Orrington  ?  " 

*  Yes."    It  was  one  of  our  correspondents. 

"  War  just  declared  between  England  and 
Germany.  I  have  inside  information  that  the 
fleets  will  meet  in  the  Channel,  to-morrow,  off 
Dover.  I  suppose  you'll  hunt  your  man  there  ?  " 

''  I'm  off  for  the  scene  of  battle  by  the  first 
train,"  I  answered.  "  Much  obliged,"  and  I  hung 
up  the  receiver. 

As  I  stepped  out  under  the  great  awning  at  the 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  239 

head  of  the  courtyard,  the  gayety  and  life  of  the 
full  tide  of  evening  was  sweeping  through.  Beauti 
fully  dressed  women,  gallant  men,  life  and  youth 
and  pleasure,  —  and  to-morrow  —  what  ?  Would  a 
single  one  of  those  mighty  ships,  would  one  of 
those  brave  sailors  return  ?  As  I  stood  there,  a 
hush  came.  The  news  which  I  had  heard  had  just 
been  received.  Then  came  a  mighty  roar,  "  War, 
War,  War."  Then,  as  it  died  away,  out  burst  a 
great  increasing  wave  of  song,  the  whole  multitude 
joining  in  one  mighty  chorus,  "  God  save  the 
King."  I  saw  Dorothy  hastening  towards  me, 
her  lips  quivering. 

"  Jim,  have  you  got  to  go  to  sea  ?  "  she  said 
stammering.  "  I'm  so  afraid  no  boat  will  ever 
return,"  and  she  ended  with  a  sob.  I  could  wait 
no  longer. 

"  Dear  love,"  I  said,  "  I  must,  but  I  love  you, 
dear,  and  if  I  die  to-morrow  or  fifty  years  off,  I 
love  you  and  you  alone,"  and  there,  as  the  last 
bars  of  the  song  rang  forth  in  the  full  tide  of  exalta 
tion,  as  the  clamor  of  the  crowded  street  outside 
rose  to  its  height,  Dorothy  and  I  came  to  our  own. 


CHAPTER   XVII 

As  we  stood  there  in  the  hush  that  followed  the 
last  bars  of  the  song,  Tom  came  towards  us. 
Dorothy  turned  to  him,  starry  eyed,  and  he  looked 
quickly  at  me.  I  nodded.  Tom  smiled  widely,  as 
he  stretched  out  his  hand. 

"  Nobody  else  in  the  world  I'd  as  soon  would 
have  her,  old  man,"  he  said,  as  he  nearly  wrung 
my  hand  off.  Then  turning  to  his  sister,  "  Well, 
little  girl,  so  you've  waked  up  at  last  to  the  real 
state  of  things."  Dorothy  clung  to  his  arm. 

'  Tom,  dear,  I  have,  and  I  am  very  happy, 
but  —  "  her  voice  broke.  "  It  may  only  be  for  to 
night.  Jim  leaves  at  once  for  the  fleet.  He  is  go 
ing  out  to  watch  the  battle,  and  if  the  man  sends 
out  his  waves  to  sink  those  ships,  I  am  afraid  he'll 
sink  every  other  boat  anywhere  near." 

*  This,  my  children,"  said  Tom,  with  a  flowing 
gesture,  "  is  where  your  old  uncle  Thomas  steps 
in  as  the  benevolent  fairy  who  saves  the  handsome 
lover  of  the  beautiful  young  princess." 

Dorothy  looked  at  him,  her  whole  soul  in  her 
eyes.  "  Tom,  don't  joke.  Have  you  any  way  by 
which  Jim  can  go  and  be  safe  ?  I  can't  ask  him 
to  stay  behind  for  me,  when  he  ought  to  go." 

240 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  241 

"  Dorothy,"  said  Tom  seriously,  "  I  think  Jim 
can  go  and  be  perfectly  safe.  I  thought  this  whole 
business  out,  coming  over  in  the  boat.  Not  being 
completely  and  totally  blind,  I  foresaw  the  inevi 
table  occurrence  which  has  inevitably  occurred, 
and  I  didn't  want  to  lose  Jim  for  my  own  sake,  as 
well  as  my  sister's.  I've  had  this  on  my  mind  ever 
since  we  left  Portsmouth.  I  knew  he'd  think  he 
ought  to  go ;  so  as  soon  as  I  reached  Folkestone  I 
had  a  little  yacht  built,  a  sloop  with  an  auxiliary 
motor,  which  hasn't  a  nail  in  her.  She's  all  wood, 
rubber  and  canvas,  except  the  engine,  and  if  the 
engine  disappears  there's  a  set  of  rubber  valves 
that  instantly  closes  the  shaft  hole.  *  The  man  * 
can  come  right  up  alongside,  stand  up  and  throw 
waves  at  her,  and  she  can't  sink.  I  had  a  wire 
from  there  to-night  that  she  was  done.  They've 
been  working  on  her  twenty-four  hours  a  day  since 
I  started  her,  and  she's  a  mighty  nice  little  boat. 
The  crew  is  engaged,  and  all  Jim  has  to  do  is  take 
possession." 

"  That  ought  to  save  the  boat,"  said  Dorothy, 
shaking  her  head  sadly,  "  but  how  can  you  save 
Jim  from  the  fate  of  Dr.  Heidenmuller,  or  of  the 
men  on  the  battleships  who  died  as  he  did  ?  " 

'  You  never  did  have  much  opinion  of  my 
brains,  Dorothy,"  said  Tom.  "  Don't  you  suppose 
I  thought  of  the  effect  those  waves  would  have  ? 
You  know  none  of  the  other  ships  in  Portsmouth 


242  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

harbor  were  injured,  when  the  German  ship  dis 
appeared.  That  proves  that  the  man  has  some 
way  of  directing  his  waves.  So  he  may  not  hurt  Jim 
at'all.  But  I  didn't  take  any  chances  on  that.  I've 
had  a  cage  of  caema  built  over  the  cockpit,  and 
everything  is  arranged  so  that  the  boat  can  be  run 
without  going  outside  that  cage." 

Dorothy  heaved  a  sigh  of  relief.  She  bent  for 
ward  and  kissed  Tom  in  the  full  face  of  the  assem 
bly. 

"  Tom,  you're  the  finest,  best  man  in  the  world, 
except  one." 

"  That's  it,"  said  Tom  with  a  grin.  "  Second 
place  for  old  uncle  Thomas  now." 

"  But  Tom,"  I  said,  "  I  follow  the  boat  con 
struction  all  right,  but  for  Heaven's  sake  what  is 
this  caema  that  I've  heard  so  much  about,  and 
what's  the  use  of  the  cage  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  forgot  you  might  not  understand  that," 
said  Tom.  '  You  know,  or  you  ought  to  know, 
it's  in  every  school  physics,  that  if  you  put  a  cage 
of  a  conductor  like  copper  around  any  instrument 
which  is  easily  affected  by  any  electrical  discharge, 
the  electrical  waves  spread  out,  follow  the  surface 
of  the  cage,  and  don't  penetrate  the  interior.  The 
instrument  is  wholly  unaffected.  Well,  caema  is 
the  newest  organic  conductor.  It  acts  the  same 
way  with  any  radio-active  waves.  They  spread 
out  all  over  it,  and  can't  get  through.  I've  had  a 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  243 

cage  built  of  it  to  insulate  you  and  everything  else 
that's  inside." 

"  Why  wouldn't  it  work  around  the  battleships 
then  ? "  I  asked. 

"  Because  the  battleships  are  made  of  steel;  and 
if  you  put  a  cage  like  that  around  them,  they  could 
hardly  move.  It  only  worked  on  your  boat  be 
cause  it's  wood  outside." 

"  Tom,"  I  said  gravely,  "  I  imagine  your  fore 
thought  and  knowledge  will  save  my  life." 

"  I  know  it  will,"  said  Tom  cheerfully.  "  Now, 
what  time  do  you  leave  ?  " 

"  In  fifty-five  minutes,  from  Charing  Cross,  on 
the  Channel  Express,"  I  said. 

"  We'll  go  with  you  to  Folkestone,"  said  Tom. 

"  Of  course,"  said  Dorothy. 

A  few  minutes  at  the  Savoy,  a  brief  ride  down 
the  lighted  Strand  in  the  midst  of  the  noisy  crowds, 
a  moment  in  the  rush  of  the  station,  and  a  long  ride 
in  the  darkness,  in  a  full  compartment,  brought  us 
back  to  Folkestone. 

All  the  way  down  I  held  Dorothy's  hand  in  my 
own.  All  the  way  down  her  warm  body  was  close 
to  mine.  Despite  all  Tom's  precautions,  some 
thing  might  go  wrong,  but,  if  it  ended  to-night,  we 
had  this,  and  hope  persisted  that  it  would  not  end 
to-night,  that,  on  the  other  hand,  this  was  the 
beginning  of  many  happy  years. 

The  crew  of  three  was  on  board  the  little  yacht, 


244  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

which  looked  no  different  in  the  dark  from  any 
other  boat,  though,  as  we  came  alongside  in  the 
skiff,  I  could  just  see  a  cage  of  some  dark  substance 
above  the  cockpit.  We  entered  through  a  latticed 
door  toward  the  bow,  and  Tom  for  half  an  hour 
examined  every  part  of  the  boat  with  a  lantern,  the 
caema  screen  most  vigilantly  of  all.  Dorothy  and 
I  sat  close  together,  watching  the  lights  and  their 
reflection  in  the  water.  All  about  the  pier  was 
hurry  and  movement.  Three  tugs,  bearing  corre 
spondents,  passed  us  as  we  lay  at  anchor,  and  half 
a  dozen  despatch  boats  and  cutters.  Tom  came 
up  to  us  at  last. 

"  Jim,  if  you  keep  the  door  of  the  cage  fastened, 
nothing  can  happen  to  you." 

"  Don't  be  foolhardy,  though,  for  my  sake," 
said  Dorothy. 

"  Come,  Dorothy,  we  must  go.  It's  time  for 
Jim  to  start,"  said  Tom  gently,  and  I  strained 
Dorothy  to  my  heart  and  felt  her  wet  cheek  against 
mine. 

"  I'll  be  back  safely,  dear  love,"  I  whispered,  as 
I  helped  her  into  the  waiting  boat. 

Tom  wrung  my  hand  as  he  left.  '  Jim,  I'd  go 
with  you,  but  I  think  I  ought  to  stay  with  Dorothy." 

"  I  know  you  ought,"  I  replied,  and  they  cast  off. 

As  we  started  off  into  the  blackness,  Dorothy's 
clear  "  Till  we  meet  again,  dear,"  were  the  last 
words  that  reached  me. 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  245 

Our  London  office  had  been  able  to  obtain 
pretty  definite  information  as  regards  the  where 
abouts  of  the  fleet,  and  our  little  boat  was  a  marvel 
of  swiftness.  So  it  was  with  no  great  surprise  that, 
as  the  morning  dawned,  I  saw  far  ahead  of  me, 
ofF  the  port  bow,  the  rear  ships  of  the  squadron 
going  slowly  ahead,  and  shortly  after  came  in  sight 
of  the  whole  fleet.  My  binoculars  showed  the 
greatest  spectacle  I  had  ever  beheld.  From  East  and 
West,  from  North  and  South  had  come  the  hurry 
ing  ships  to  guard  the  coasts  of  the  great  island 
empire  from  attack.  I  counted  forty  mighty  ships 
as  I  gazed.  In  regular  formation  they  went  on 
ward,  slowly,  disdainfully,  proudly.  Somewhere 
to  the  north,  beyond  that  gray  line  which  bordered 
my  view  on  every  side,  another  fleet  was  coming. 
At  best,  it  was  to  be  the  greatest  trial  of  naval 
strength  the  world  had  ever  seen.  All  other  naval 
battles  would  sink  into  obscurity  before  this,  in 
which  were  met  the  utmost  resources  of  Germany 
and  England.  At  worst,  it  would  be  a  series  of 
dumb,  helpless  disasters,  as  the  fleet,  stricken  by 
an  unseen,  unknown  foe,  would  perish.  Near 
me  were  two  of  the  boats  bearing  men  from  the 
papers.  The  men  on  them  jeered  as  they  saw  our 
dark  cage,  and  passed  uncomplimentary  remarks 
on  the  appearance  of  my  boat.  I  kept  silence, 
watching  the  line  of  sky  and  sea.  Out  on  the 
farthest  point,  at  last  I  saw  a  dot,  then  half  a  dozen 


246  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

more,  then  more,  and  I  counted  up  to  thirty.  Over 
on  my  right  a  great  splash  of  water  rose,  and  a  dull 
reverberation  sounded.  Germany  had  fired  the 
first  shot.  The  flagship  of  the  English  admiral  was 
nearest  me,  on  the  extreme  left  of  the  line.  As  I 
watched,  I  saw  the  great  ship  turn  slightly,  and  I 
knew  by  the  sound  that  they  had  fired  in  return. 
Sight  availed  nothing  in  telling  whence  came  the 
shot,  for  the  newest  smokeless  powder  left  no  trace. 
The  ship  swung  back  on  her  course,  the  great  flag 
of  the  Empire  hanging  at  her  stern,  scarce  lifted  by 
the  breeze.  I  could  see  figures,  through  my 
powerful  glasses,  hurrying  about  the  decks,  and 
three  or  four  officers  on  the  bridge  peering  through 
their  glasses  at  the  enemy.  I  had  focussed  wholly 
on  the  British  flagship,  and  watched  intently  for 
her  next  move.  Suddenly  my  lenses  grew  blank, 
and  I  was  staring  at  sea  and  sky.  The  gray  waves, 
rising  and  falling,  filled  the  field.  The  battleship 
had  disappeared.  I  dropped  my  glasses  in  utter 
amaze.  I  found  myself  once  more  repeating  the 
words  of  Joslinn  concerning  the  Alaska.  '  Van 
ished  like  a  bursting  soap-bubble."  I  looked  to 
right  and  left.  I  raised  my  glasses.  Of  all  that 
company  of  men,  of  all  those  implements  of  war 
and  of  destruction,  not  one  thing  remained.  Yes, 
there  was  a  dark  spot  on  a  lifting  wave.  Eagerly  I 
trained  my  lenses  on  it.  Now  it  came  up  on  a 
higher  wave.  A  gleam  of  color.  It  was  like  cloth. 


I    FOUND    MYSELF    COUNTING    ALOUD. 


{.Page 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  247 

Again  it  rose.  It  was  the  flag  of  England.  Alone 
it  had  survived. 

"  The  man  "  was  at  work.  Where  would  he  strike 
next  ?  The  rest  of  the  fleet  went  on,  as  if  no  blow 
had  come.  Not  by  a  sign  did  they  show  what  had 
come  upon  them.  I  glanced  at  my  wire  screen,  and 
at  my  crew  who  stood  in  a  huddled  group.  The 
correspondents,  in  the  boats  nearby,  were  standing 
with  white  faces,  peering  ahead.  I  turned  my 
glasses  on  the  German  fleet.  The  leading  ship  was 
coming  forward,  under  full  steam.  A  shot  struck 
just  to  my  right,  and  I  realized  that  peril  might 
come  from  other  sources  than  from  the  man  who 
was  trying,  no,  who  was  stopping  all  war.  But  it 
was  all  in  the  game  of  life.  My  part  in  the  game 
just  then  was  to  be  at  that  very  place,  and  I  thrust 
back  the  thought  of  parting  with  Dorothy  that, 
despite  myself,  arose. 

Through  my  glasses,  I  gazed  fixedly  at  the  Ger 
man  ship  as  she  came  on.  Then,  as  before,  came 
the  utter  blankness,  the  gray  sky  and  the  waves 
rising  and  falling.  One  English  ship  and  one  Ger 
man.  Where  would  he  strike  next  ?  As  I  asked 
the  question,  another  English  ship  disappeared 
more  swiftly  than  a  cloud  of  light  smoke  scattered 
by  the  wind.  I  found  myself  counting  aloud.  In  a 
state  of  utter  unconsciousness  as  to  anything  else, 
I  gazed  fixedly  to  see  which  would  go  next. 
"  Four,"  I  counted,  as  a  German  cruiser  off  on  the 


248  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

right  went  down.  "  Five  !  six  !  "  They  were 
going  at  the  rate  of  one  every  two  or  three  minutes 
now.  "  '  The  man  '  must  be  in  one  spot,  and  he 
has  the  range  now,"  I  said  to  myself,  as  two  more 
ships  disappeared.  Those  ships  that  remained 
were  firing  rapidly.  Now  and  again  a  shot  would 
hit,  and  a  cloud  of  steel  fly  out  from  a  turret,  or  a 
big  hole  appear  in  a  side.  Their  brothers  were 
dying  an  awful  death,  the  sister  ships  of  the  fleet 
were  disappearing  before  their  eyes,  but  the  men 
who  directed  those  gray  bull  dogs  of  war  kept  on. 
In  a  perfect  frenzy  of  excitement,  I  cheered  aloud. 
"  Oh  plucky,  plucky !  "  I  cried,  as  the  squadrons, 
closing  their  thinned  ranks,  bore  down  on  each 
other.  Twenty  had  gone  from  eighty-two,  des 
troyed  by  this  wonder-worker.  Ten  of  the  rest 
were  in  sore  straits.  Shots  were  falling  on  every 
side  of  me,  but,  in  the  mad  excitement  of  the 
moment,  I  heeded  them  no  more  than  if  they  had 
been  paper  pellets.  Then  the  death-dealing  ma 
chine  seemed  suddenly  to  accelerate  its  action. 
'  Twenty-five,  twenty-six,  twenty-seven,  twenty- 
eight,"  I  counted  slowly.  The  fleets  never  changed 
a  point  of  their  course.  Not  by  a  gun  was  the  fire 
slackened,  save  in  the  few  ships  disabled  by  the 
enemy.  The  fortieth  ship  had  disappeared  for  ten 
minutes.  Then,  as  by  a  common  understanding,  the 
fire  of  each  side  slackened  for  a  moment  as  the 
ships,  closing  up  their  ranks,  maneuvered  for  new 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  240 

positions.  In  the  lessening  din,  I  could  hear  the 
chug-chug  of  the  little  motor  of  our  boat.  That 
sound  always  carried  me  back  to  the  night  when 
Dorothy  and  I  sought  the  man  who  saw  the  Alaska 
go  down.  The  dark  Jersey  shore,  the  little  launch, 
and  Dorothy  beside  me  suddenly  rose  before  my 
eyes,  and  I  was  there,  and  not  in  the  midst  of  this 
awful  carnage.  But  it  was  only  for  a  moment. 
The  pause  in  the  work  of  destruction  ended  almost 
as  it  began.  One  after  another,  twenty-two  ships 
more  went  down,  and  the  antagonists,  who  had 
started  with  eighty-two  of  the  proudest  ships  that 
any  empire  ever  sent  forth,  were  reduced  to  a 
shattered  remnant  of  twenty.  Then  suddenly  they 
gave  way.  Flesh  and  blood  could  stand  no  more. 
Slowly,  but  proudly  as  ever,  and  with  no  haste  of 
flight,  the  Germans  drew  off  to  the  north,  the  Eng 
lish  to  the  south.  As  they  parted,  another  ship  and 
yet  another  disappeared.  I  groaned  in  impotent 
agony.  "  Spare  them,  spare  the  rest  ?  "  I  cried 
wildly.  "  Can't  you  see  they  have  given  up  the 
fight." 

Remorseless  in  his  purpose,  the  man  went  on. 
Again  and  again,  with  measured  blows,  he  struck 
the  retreating  fleet.  One  by  one,  their  existence 
ended,  and  the  now  sunlit  ripples  of  the  Channel 
rose  and  fell,  where  a  moment  before  had  sailed 
these  massive  hulks. 

I  veiled  my  eyes  at  the  close,  but  opened  them 


250  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

as  I  felt  a  touch  on  my  shoulder.  "  Are  we  to  be 
killed  too,  sir  ?  "  said  my  skipper,  with  twitching 
lips  and  corded  brow,  where  the  cold  sweat  stood 
in  great  drops.  "  Can  we  go  now,  sir  ?  " 

I  nodded  numbly,  and  we  started.  The  only 
boats  in  sight  were  two  boats  of  the  newspapers, 
that  had  lain  in  apathy  near  us.  As  they  saw  us 
start,  their  skippers  started,  too.  The  correspond 
ents  on  their  decks  sat  in  stricken  attitudes.  Not 
one  was  writing.  They  crouched,  huddled  to 
gether,  like  men  dying  from  cold.  The  three 
boats  ran  towards  shore,  side  by  side.  With  fixed 
gaze  I  followed  the  one  on  the  right.  Suddenly, 
she  also  disappeared,  and  I  fell  into  a  wild  rage. 
"  You  fool,  you  fool,"  I  cried,  shaking  my  fists. 
"  Don't  you  know  a  non-combatant  ?  " 

The  men  on  the  boat  to  the  left  rose  in  an  agony 
of  alarm,  shouted  incoherently,  waved  handker 
chiefs.  My  fury  suddenly  became  extinct,  and  I 
watched  them  apathetically.  It  would  be  their 
turn  next,  or  ours.  I  had  lost  all  faith  in  Tom's  pro 
tective  schemes.  One  thing  ran  back  and  forth  in 
my  brain.  "  If  I  had  only  married  Dorothy  before  I 
came,  she  could  have  worn  black.  Now,  as  it  was, 
would  she  or  wouldn't  she  ?  "  That  was  the  only 
thing  which  distressed  me.  They  say  a  man  await 
ing  instant  death  thinks  over  all  his  past  life.  I 
didn't,  I  only  worried  as  to  whether  Dorothy  would 
or  would  not  wear  black. 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  251 

I  looked  up  wearily.  The  sea  was  blank.  The 
other  boat  had  gone.  "  So  you  went  first,"  I  said, 
calmly  enough  now.  "  I've  always  wondered 
what  the  next  world  was  like.  Now,  I'm  going  to 
know." 

Ceaselessly  went  the  chug,  chug  of  the  engine. 
Back  and  forth  into  the  shuttle  of  my  thought  went 
the  Jersey  coast,  and  the  problem  of  whether  or  not 
Dorothy  would  wear  black. 

The  noise  ceased  in  an  instant,  and  I  wondered 
at  it  dully.  The  crew  sat  heavily  in  the  stern,  the 
skipper  holding  the  wheel.  I  could  see  his  brown, 
knotted  hands  white  with  the  anguished  grip  with 
which  he  clasped  its  rim.  We  lay  in  the  long  swell 
of  the  Channel  in  utter  silence.  Of  all  those 
thousands,  we  were  left  alone,  rising  and  falling  on 
the  billows,  absolutely  without  energy  and  without 
the  slightest  desire  to  act.  The  motor  stopped, 
we  could  hoist  the  main  sail  from  the  cage,  but 
we  thought  of  no  such  thing.  For  minutes,  which 

o  o  * 

seemed  like  hours,  we  lay  there  while  I  gazed  in 
differently  at  the  water.  A  hoarse  cry  from  the 
skipper  aroused  me. 

"  Lookee  there  !  "  he  shouted.  I  turned  at  the 
command  and  started.  Scarce  a  hundred  yards 
away  was  the  conning  tower  of  a  submarine  above 
the  waves.  Its  top  was  open  and  a  man's  head, 
the  face  masked  with  huge  goggles,  faced  us.  As 
I  gazed  with  open  mouth,  the  head  disappeared, 


252  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

the  top  closed,  and  the  conning  tower  sunk  beneath 
the  waves.  I  had  seen  "  the  man." 

The  sight  somehow  galvanized  me  into  energy. 
Now  I  had  seen  that  the  antagonist  was  a  human 
being,  and  not  a  superhuman  power,  I  would  fight 
for  my  life.  I  ordered  the  sail  raised  through  the 
cage,  taking  great  care  not  to  disturb  it,  and  we 
started  slowly  back  to  Folkestone.  Hours  later,  as 
we  came  up  towards  the  harbor,  I  saw  a  yacht 
approaching.  On  the  bridge  were  three  figures. 
There  was  the  flutter  of  a  white  dress  beside  the 
man  at  the  wheel.  As  they  came  nearer,  I  saw  it 
was  the  yacht  I  had  chartered  for  our  hunt  in  the 
Channel.  The  man  and  the  girl  on  the  bridge 
were  Tom  and  Dorothy.  As  they  came  alongside, 
Tom  called. 

"  What  happened  ?  " 

I  raised  my  head.  "  We  four  are  all  that  are 
left,"  I  said  sadly. 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

As  I  came  over  the  side  of  the  yacht,  Dorothy 
was  at  the  rail  and  in  a  moment  was  in  my  arms. 
"  Thank  God  !  Thank  God  !  you  are  back,"  she 
murmured.  "  You  are  back  and  the  awful  waiting 
is  over,  but  how  many  wives  and  sweethearts  will 
wait  all  the  rest  of  their  lives  !  " 

Tom  was  but  a  moment  behind  his  sister.  "  Do 
you  mean  to  say  that  every  boat,  without  exception, 
has  gone  ?  "  he  questioned. 

"  Every  one  within  my  range  of  vision.  Between 
eighty  and  ninety  in  all,"  I  answered. 

"  Good  God  !  What  a  catastrophe,"  said  Tom 
dazedly.  "  I  can't  realize  it." 

My  little  yacht  was  still  alongside,  and  the 
skipper  now  hailed  us.  "  Mr.  Orrington,  sir,  could 
somebody  else  take  our  boat  in,  and  could  we  go 
with  you  ?  I  think,  sir,  we'd  feel  easier,  if  we  could 
go  with  you." 

There  was  something  to  do.  In  a  few  minutes 
an  exchange  had  been  made,  and  my  crew  was  on 
the  larger  yacht.  As  they  came  over  the  rail,  Tom 
met  them  with  a  low  request  to  keep  their  mouths 
shut. 

253 


254  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

"  Don't  fear,  us,"  said  my  skipper.  "  We're 
alive,  that's  all  we  ask  for.  We  don't  have  any 
call  or  wish  to  talk  about  it.  Do  we,  mates  ?  " 
The  other  men  shook  their  heads  dumbly,  and 
went  slowly  to  their  places. 

"What  became  of  your  propeller  ?  "  asked  Tom, 
coming  back  towards  us. 

"  Disappeared.  Your  rubber  valves  closed  the 
hole." 

'  Then  he  tried  to  sink  you." 

"  Undoubtedly,"  I  answered.  "  It  was  your 
wooden  boat  and  cage  of  caema  which  saved  me." 

As  we  made  for  Folkestone,  we  met  other  boats 
hurrying  out  on  the  Channel.  Tom  had  ventured 
out  farther  than  any  one  else.  One  by  one,  they 
hailed  us,  but  our  captain  gave  them  no  news  and 
made  on. 

"  I  wish  I  knew  what  to  do,"  I  said  wearily.  "  I 
can't  write  this  thing.  I  feel  stunned  and  broken. 
I'm  not  sure  what  I  ought  to  do,  anyway.  Any 
ordinary  or  even  extraordinary  thing  is  proper 
journalistic  stuff,  but  this  is  too  big,  somehow,  for 
individual  use.  Yet  the  one  thing  that  ought  to  be 
done  is  to  get  the  news  to  the  world  as  soon  as 
possible." 

"  I  don't  know  what  to  tell  you,"  said  Dorothy 
hesitatingly.  "  Isn't  your  London  correspondent 
to  be  in  Folkestone  waiting  for  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  I  said. 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  255 

"  Well,  ask  him.  You  and  I  will  go  ashore,  and 
Tom  can  put  out  with  the  yacht.  Then  there 
will  be  no  chance  of  the  sailors'  telling  anything." 

"  All  right,"  I  answered.  "  I  don't  seem  to  care 
what  happens." 

Folkestone  Pier  was  a  black  mass  of  people 
looking  out  to  sea  as  we  came  in,  and  a  surging 
crowd  came  towards  us,  as  Dorothy  and  I  landed, 
while  our  boat,  with  Tom  in  the  stern,  shot  back 
towards  the  yacht.  Had  it  not  been  for  three  or 
four  policemen,  we  could  not  have  forced  our  way 
through  the  jam,  but  by  their  aid  we  managed  to 
struggle  through,  shaking  our  heads  in  response  to 
the  thousand  questions.  As  the  human  tide  ebbed 
back  towards  the  end  of  the  pier,  I  heard  my  name 
and  turned.  It  was  Maxwell,  our  London  corre 
spondent. 

"  What  news  ? "  he  asked  eagerly,  when  he 
reached  me. 

"  I'll  tell  you,  if  you'll  get  us  out  of  this  crowd," 
I  answered. 

"  I've  got  a  motor  here.  Come  on,"  he  said,  and 
we  made  our  way  out,  boarded  the  motor  and 
started  slowly  off.  I  looked  at  the  chauffeur. 

"  Run  out  to  a  quiet  place  where  we  can  be 
alone,  will  you  ?  "  I  said  to  Maxwell. 

In  a  few  moments  we  had  cleared  the  town,  and 
were  on  the  bluff  above  the  sea.  There  was  no 
one  around.  "  This  will  do,"  I  said. 


256  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

As  we  descended,  Maxwell  looked  questioningly 
at  Dorothy. 

"This  is  my  fiancee,  Miss  Haldane,"  I  explained. 
"  I  forgot  to  introduce  you.  She  knows  the  whole 
story." 

Just  where  we  paused,  an  iron  seat  faced  the 
wide  expanse  of  blue  and  shining  water,  and  for  a 
moment  I  gazed  out  over  the  Channel  and  breathed 
a  silent  prayer  of  thankgiving  for  my  escape,  of 
remembrance  for  the  men  who  lay  beneath  that 
flood.  Then  I  turned,  and  began  my  story.  Ere 
I  had  spoken  a  dozen  words,  Maxwell  had  his 
note  book  out,  writing  rapidly.  Throughout,  he 
wrote  without  a  question,  without  a  word.  As  I 
ended,  he  closed  his  note  book  slowly. 

"  What  we  want  to  know,  Mr.  Maxwell,"  said 
Dorothy  anxiously,  "  is  the  right  thing  to  do. 
Should  this  go  straight  to  the  paper,  or  ought  it  to 
go  first  to  the  English  government  ?  You  see  there's 
probably  no  living  man  who  saw  this  except  Jim 
and  his  sailors,  and  we  want  to  do  right.  We  want 
to  do  right  by  the  men  that  died,  and  the  people 
that  remain." 

Wise,  able,  thoughtful,  a  scholar  and  a  gentle 
man,  a  great  journalist,  a  man  who  counted  among 
his  friends  the  greatest  men  of  two  countries,  —  no 
man  could  be  found  who  could  decide  such  a  ques 
tion  better  than  Maxwell.  He  looked  at  Dorothy. 

'  That  was  the  very  question  in  my  mind,  Miss 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  257 

Haldane,"  he  answered.  "  But  I  think  there's 
only  one  answer.  I  believe  we  should  take  this 
straight  to  the  King.  He  is  at  Buckingham  Palace, 
and  I  believe  we  should  go  directly  to  him  with  the 
story.  I  have  met  him  a  number  of  times,  and  I 
know  we  can  get  an  audience  immediately." 

"  I'm  very  glad  you  think  so,"  I  said.  "  How 
about  the  trains  ?  " 

"  We  can  do  it  better  in  my  car,"  he  replied. 

Ten  minutes  for  gasolene,  and  we  started  off. 
Through  quiet  villages  where  red  farmhouses 
stood  framed  in  vivid  green,  by  tower  and  manor 
house  embowered  in  ancient  oaks,  through  hedge- 
rowed  land  and  city  street  we  sped,  till  the  rows  of 
villas,  each  modelled  from  a  single  type,  showed 
the  outskirts  of  London.  Then,  at  a  slower  pace, 
we  passed  through  a  smoky  fog,  across  the  river, 
by  the  Abbey,  to  the  long  front  of  Buckingham 
Palace.  All  the  way  we  sat  silent  under  the  heavy 
burden  of  the  news  that  brought  the  end  of  those 
long  centuries  of  unconquerable  British  power. 
No  enemy  who  could  be  conquered  had  they  met. 
The  day  had  come  for  peace,  and  Britain  and 
Germany  had  been  the  greatest  sufferers  in  the 
change  of  epochs. 

Past  the  red-coated  sentry,  to  the  door  of  the 
palace  we  drove.  A  few  words  on  a  card  brought  a 
secretary  with  a  startled  face,  and  scarce  five 
minutes  had  elapsed  before  Maxwell  was  ushered 


258  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

in.  Dorothy  and  I  remained  in  the  car.  As  Max 
well  left,  he  remarked,  "  Orrington,  under  any 
ordinary  circumstances,  I'd  ask  for  an  audience  for 
you,  but  now  there's  no  time  to  be  lost.  I  can  get 
an  immediate  interview  alone,  where  I  could  not 
get  one  with  you." 

"  That's  all  right,"  I  said  apathetically,  "  I'm 
glad  not  to  be  obliged  to  move." 

We  waited  before  the  palace  the  better  part  of 
an  hour  before  the  door  opened  and  Maxwell 
emerged.  As  he  came  towards  us,  I  could  see  that 
he  was  blowing  his  nose  vigorously,  and  that  his 
eyes  were  moist.  He  got  into  the  car  without  a 
word,  but  as  we  swung  over  the  bridge  into  the 
Park,  Maxwell  made  his  first  remark,  staring  off 
into  vacancy,  "  I  always  thought  the  King  was 
about  the  finest  man  that  England  held.  Now  I 
know  it." 

That  was  all  I  ever  learned  of  the  interview,  but, 
as  we  came  by  the  Abbey,  I  heard  a  newsboy 
crying,  "  Destruction  of  the  fleets,"  and  I  looked 
inquiringly  at  Maxwell.  He  nodded  in  reply,  "  We 
published  it  first.  I  telephoned  the  news  from  the 
palace." 

Weary  and  sad  as  I  was,  broken  with  the  horror 
of  the  day,  my  purpose  had  become  stronger  than 
ever  before.  As  we  ran  slowly  through  Whitehall 
and  around  to  the  Savoy,  the  thoughts  of  the  past 
were  disappearing  in  cogitations  as  to  the  effect 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  259 

this  would  have  upon  our  search  for  "  the  man." 
Though  every  battleship  in  the  world  was  sunk, 
my  purpose  held  good.  I  would  find  the  destroyer. 

The  next  morning  came  a  startling  announce 
ment.  The  King  of  England,  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  the  President  of  the  French  Republic, 
the  Mikado  of  Japan,  and  the  Czar  of  Russia 
issued  an  immediate  call  for  representatives  of  all 
nations  to  assemble  at  The  Hague  to  consider  the 
question  of  disarmament.  That,  in  itself,  differed 
but  little  from  the  other  summonses  which  had 
resulted  in  academic  discussions,  but  the  para 
graph  which  succeeded  the  call  was  one  of  the  most 
extraordinary  the  world  had  ever  seen.  The  five 
rulers  who  issued  this  invitation  each  pledged  him 
self  to  do  everything  in  his  power  to  bring  about 
complete  disarmament,  and  to  end  war  in  the 
whole  world.  In  view  of  the  urgency  of  the  situa 
tion,  the  meeting  was  to  be  held  in  a  month  at  The 
Hague. 

It  was  soon  learned  that  the  initiative  in  this 
step  had  come  from  the  King  of  England,  that  the 
four  other  rulers  had  gladly  joined  with  him  in  the 
action,  when  asked  concerning  it  by  wireless,  and 
that  the  Emperor  of  Germany  had  been  invited  to 
make  one  of  the  number,  but  had  refused.  That 
seemed  to  leave  Germany  as  the  stumbling-block 
in  the  way.  Complete  disarmament  was  wholly 
possible  if  every  nation  were  to  agree.  If  a  single 


260  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

powerful  nation  refused  to  disarm,  it  became 
practically  an  impossibility,  —  for  no  nation  would 
give  up  her  defenses,  with  a  powerful  armored  foe 
at  her  gates. 

I  had  scarcely  finished  reading  the  account  in  the 
morning  paper,  as  a  waiter  approached  with  a 
wireless  message  from  the  office.  '  Take  three 
weeks'  vacation,  and  then  go  to  Hague  as  special 
correspondent  for  peace  conference." 

"  Confound  it !  "  I  ejaculated,  as  I  read  the 
missive.  "  Look  at  this,"  and  I  passed  the  paper 
over  to  Tom  and  Dorothy.  Tom's  face  fell. 

"  Of  course  it's  a  good  thing  in  a  way,"  said 
Tom,  "  but  it  takes  you  right  off  the  track  of  '  the 


man.' 


"  I  refuse  to  go  off  the  track,"  I  said  warmly. 
"  I'm  going  to  wire  them  back  refusing  this." 

"  Oh,  I  wouldn't  do  that,"  interrupted  Dorothy 
eagerly.  "  You  stand  almost,  or  quite  as  much  of 
a  chance  to  get  news  of  *  the  man  '  at  the  peace 
conference,  as  elsewhere.  We  can  take  the  wave- 
measuring  machine  right  over  to  The  Hague,  and 
work  from  there.  Besides,  I  want  the  three  weeks' 
vacation." 

"  Better  take  the  vacation,  and  put  it  in  with  me 
down  at  Cambridge,"  remarked  Tom.  "  They're 
doing  some  work  in  one  of  the  colleges  that  might 
help  me  with  the  Denckel  machine.  I'd  like  to 
watch  it  awhile,  and  see  its  bearing  on  the  case. 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  261 

Dorothy  would  have  enjoyed  it  once,  but  now  she's 
hopeless.  You  two  can  come  down,  though,  and 
roam  round  for  three  weeks  there,  as  well  as  any 
where  else.  It's  a  jolly  country,  and  we'll  have  a 
good  time." 

"  Well,  if  you  feel  convinced  it's  the  thing  to  do, 
I'll  do  it,"  I  said  resignedly.  "  But  I  want  to  put 
in  three  weeks  here  in  London,  getting  things  to 
gether.  We've  never  run  down  that  Cragent  clue 
yet." 

"  You  are  neither  of  you  going  to  do  any  such 
thing,"  remarked  Dorothy  firmly.  "  I'll  tell  you 
what  you  are  going  to  do  for  the  next  three  weeks. 
You're  going  to  Paris  with  me." 

"  Oh,  pshaw  !  "  said  Tom  disgustedly.  "  Paris 
is  a  hole.  I  want  to  go  to  Cambridge.  Do  you 
like  Paris,  Jim  ?  " 

"  Not  particularly,"  I  said,  with  some  hesitation, 
"  but  then  —  " 

"  We're  going,"  said  Dorothy. 

"  What  for  ?  "    said  Tom  argumentatively. 

"  Well,  if  you  must  know,"  said  Dorothy  blush 
ing,  "  I  want  to  shop." 

Tom  burst  into  a  roar  of  laughter,  and  I  looked 
at  him  in  bewilderment.  He  leaned  over  towards 
me. 

"  Got  the  cards  engraved  yet,  Jim  ?  " 

Dorothy  blushed  still  more.  I  saw  a  sudden 
light. 


262  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

"  Of  course  we  go  to  Paris,"  I  said  enthusiast 
ically.  "  It's  the  place  of  places." 

"  And  you'll  sit  round  for  hours,  waiting  in  a 
dinky  little  cab  or  in  a  motor  car  on  the  Boulevard 
Haussmann,  while  Dorothy  spends  her  patrimony 
inside.  Is  there  a  special  duty  on  trousseaux, 
Dorothy  ?  "  he  asked,  with  an  affectation  of  seri 
ousness. 

"  I  wish  you'd  stop,"  said  Dorothy  emphatically. 

"  All  right,"  said  Tom.  "  Only  I  thought  I'd 
better  wire  my  banker  to  see  if  my  balance  would 
leave  us  anything  to  go  home  on." 

Three  weeks  in  Paris,  hours  when  I  sat  and 
smoked  outside  big  shops  and  little  shops,  after 
noons  in  the  Bois,  little  "  diners  a  trois  "  at  great 
restaurants,  life,  and  light,  and  joy.  Three  weeks 
with  Dorothy,  then  the  day  express  to  The  Hague, 
and  a  week  of  watching  the  arrival  of  the  envoys, 
while  Tom,  who  had  run  across  an  old  assistant  of 
Carl  Denckel's,  set  up  the  wave-measuring  ma 
chine,  and  spent  his  days  working  over  it,  in  an 
attempt  to  widen  its  scope  and  bring  it  nearer  to 
its  ever  present  mission.  It  still  remained  our  chief 
reliance  for  our  search. 

Anxious  as  I  was  to  return  to  the  quest1  of  "  the 
man,"  the  work  at  The  Hague  proved  fascinating 
in  the  extreme.  My  daily  report  told  of  the  coming 
of  representatives  from  almost  every  nation,  and, 
best  of  all,  told  of  the  free  and  full  powers  given 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  263 

them  to  agree  to  complete  disarmament,  provided 
it  could  be  universal.  Day  after  day,  in  the  month 
which  intervened  between  the  calling  of  the  con 
vention  and  the  opening  of  the  meeting,  had  come 
reports  of  parliaments  and  congresses  hastily 
gathered  together  to  consider  the  question,  and  of 
their  eager  passing  of  favorable  votes.  One  by 
one  they  came,  till  every  nation  had  joined  in  con 
sent,  save  one.  Germany  still  held  aloof.  Since 
the  disappearance  of  the  fleets,  the  German  em 
peror  had  made  no  movement  to  advance  the  war, 
but  kept  his  armies  gathered,  his  transports  riding 
at  anchor  in  the  ports.  The  Reichstag  met,  and 
discussed  most  favorably  the  call  to  The  Hague, 
waiting  anxiously  for  some  sign  from  its  imperial 
master,  but  none  came.  In  absolute  seclusion,  in 
a  lone  castle  in  the  depths  of  the  Black  Forest,  he 
sulked  like  Achilles  in  his  tent. 

The  first  day  of  meeting  came  with  every  power 
represented  save  Germany.  The  second  and 
third  passed  with  no  sign  from  Berlin.  On  the 
fourth,  I  began  to  see  signs  of  difficulty.  It  was 
evident  that  the  consent  of  the  German  empire 
was  a  sine  qua  non.  Delegate  after  delegate  arose 
and  expressed  the  eager  desire  of  his  country  to 
disarm  and  bring  about  universal  peace,  provided 
(and  the  provided  was  emphatic)  all  other  nations 
did  the  same.  On  the  evening  of  the  fourth  day, 
an  American  delegate  rose,  and  by  a  powerful 


264  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

speech  so  roused  the  assembly  that  a  delegation 
was  appointed  to  meet  the  German  Emperor  and 
ask  him,  in  the  name  of  the  conference,  to  join  with 
the  other  nations.  After  the  delegation  was  named, 

o 

the  meeting  adjourned  for  three  days,  until  they 
could  return. 

On  the  night  when  the  delegates  were  to  return, 
I  was  in  my  place  in  the  correspondents'  section  of 
the  hall  of  the  conference.  The  meeting  came  to 
order,  the  preliminary  business  was  finished,  and 
the  presiding  officer  arose  to  say  that  the  delegates 
had  been  delayed  in  returning,  but  had  telegraphed 
that  they  would  be  there  within  an  hour.  He  had 
scarcely  finished  speaking,  when  a  door  opened, 
and  a  marshal  announced  "  The  delegation  sent  to 
His  Majesty  the  Emperor  of  Germany." 

Travel-worn  and  weary,  the  five  men  walked  up 
the  aisle  to  the  space  at  the  front.  "  Gentlemen, 
are  you  ready  to  report  ?  "  said  the  presiding 
officer. 

"  We  are,"  said  the  head  of  the  delegation. 
"  The  Emperor  of  Germany  refused  absolutely  to 
see  us,  pleading  an  indisposition.  We  were  unable 
to  obtain  any  satisfaction." 

The  grave  assembly  rose  like  the  sea.  Shouts, 
cries,  requests  for  recognition,  came  in  one  clamor 
ous  volume,  and  the  president  sounded  his  gavel 
fiercely.  The  excitable  Latins  were  shouting  re 
criminations.  It  looked  as  if  the  seething  mass 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  265 

would  break  up  in  utter  disorder,  and  the  great  con 
ference  would  end  without  result.  Far  off  by  the 
door,  I  could  see  a  marshal  forcing  his  way 
through  the  crowded  aisles,  imploring,  struggling, 
righting.  He  reached  the  rostrum,  mounted  it,  and 
spoke  in  the  president's  ear.  With  a  tremendous 
effort,  he  shouted,  "  Silence  for  important  news." 
Little  by  little,  the  crowd  stilled.  In  a  resonant 
voice  came  the  words,  "  An  envoy  from  the  Em 
peror  of  Germany  desires  to  address  the  conference 
in  person." 

A  hush  came  over  the  assembly,  a  hush  so  sud 
den,  so  profound,  that  I  could  hear  the  scratching 
of  the  fountain  pen  with  which  the  secretary  before 
the  president  wrote  the  words.  The  aisles  cleared, 
and  the  ordered  assembly  sat  silently  in  their  seats. 
The  great  door  opened  and,  preceded  by  a  corps 
of  marshals,  the  envoy  from  the  great  Hohenzollern 
entered.  The  stiff,  unbending  figure,  the  haughty 
head,  the  piercing  eyes  and  high,  upturned  mous 
tache  of  the  field  marshal  envoy  showed  his  imita 
tion  of  his  master,  the  war  lord.  Proudly,  as  on 
parade,  he  paced  to  the  space  where  the  presi 
dent,  who  had  descended  to  the  floor  to  greet  him, 
stood.  He  bowed  coldly  and  turned. 

"  My  master  has  sent  me  here,"  he  said  abruptly, 
"  to  address  your  conference.  These  are  his  words, 
'  I  have  believed  that  war,  that  armies  made  for 
the  best  good  of  my  state;  I  believe  it  still.  I  do 


266  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

not  believe  in  peace.  But  I  cannot  expose  my  navy 
to  destruction,  my  sailors  and  my  soldiers  to  death. 
I  therefore  agree  to  peace.  My  armies  shall  dis 
band,  my  fortifications  be  torn  down,  my  battle 
ships  sunk  or  turned  to  peaceful  ends.  My 
Reichstag  will  have  confirmed  my  words  ere  now.' ' 

As  one  man,  the  assembly  arose  and  cheered. 
Never,  in  his  own  city  or  from  his  own  troops, 
came  heartier  greetings  than  that  which  rung  out 
for  the  last  ruler  to  take  up  the  cause  of  peace. 
The  field  marshal  stood  there,  while  the  tumult 
raged,  his  hands  resting  on  the  hilt  of  his  sword, 
erect  as  ever,  impassive  as  ever.  As  the  cheering 
ended,  he  bowed  to  the  assembly.  Turning,  he 
bowed  to  the  president,  and  then,  with  martial 
step,  he  slowly  withdrew.  The  delegates  from 
Germany  arrived  the  next  day  with  power  to  dis 
arm,  and  the  business  of  signing  the  agreements 
and  plans  of  disarmament  went  on  so  rapidly  that 
the  conference  was  able  to  adjourn  in  but  a  few 
days'  time. 

The  day  the  conference  closed,  I  rushed  back 
from  the  telegraph  office  the  moment  I  had  sent 
off  the  last  word  of  my  final  despatch.  I  found 
Tom  and  Dorothy  in  the  laboratory.  "  There, 
thank  goodness,"  I  cried  exultantly,  "  that's  over. 
Now  I  can  go  back  to  the  hunt  for  '  the  man  '  with 
an  easy  conscience.  What  do  you  think  that  next 
move  ought  to  be  ?  " 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  267 

"Hold  on,  till  we  finish  this,"  said  Tom.  "We'll 
talk  things  over  as  soon  as  I  get  this  screw  set." 

I  watched  him  idly  as  he  worked.  "  What  is  he 
trying  to  do  now  ?  "  I  asked  Dorothy. 

Just  as  I  spoke,  Tom  moved  his  hand,  the  low 
buzz  of  a  RuhmkofFcoil  broke  in  on  the  silence  of 
the  room,  and  the  glorious  beauty  of  the  tube  of 
unknown  gas  that  we  had  found  in  Heidenmuller's 
laboratory  illumined  the  place. 

"  Why,  there's  the  gas  tube,"  I  cried  in  amaze 
ment. 

"  Yes,"  said  Dorothy.  "  From  that  tube  has 
come  a  marvellous  development  of  the  Denckel 
apparatus.  Tom  has  been  able  to  receive  with  it 
right  along,  but  never  send.  One  day  he  thought 
of  placing  that  tube  of  gas  in  the  circuit,  and  now 
he  can  send,  as  well  as  receive.  Tom  has  done  a  big 
thing.  He  can  reverse  the  action  of  the  machine, 
not  only  receive  a  message  from  any  place,  but 
shoot  a  wireless  back  across  space,  and  have  it 
strike  exactly  where  he  wishes.  It's  really  a  won 
derful  development,  but  I  don't  see  how  it's  going 
to  help  us  find  *  the  man,'  and  I  don't  want  to  give 
up.  There,  Tom  is  finishing.  We'll  talk  things 
over  now." 

"  If '  the  man's  '  crusade  were  not  over,  it  might 
be  even  more  effective,"  I  remarked  reflectively. 
"  It  would  have  been  strange  enough  if  we  had 
found  him  by  means  of  the  gas  released  from 
metal  destroyed  by  his  terrific  power." 


268  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

"  It  would  have  been,"  answered  Dorothy. 

I  stood  watching  Tom,  as,  pipe  in  mouth,  he 
set  the  revolving  belt  in  motion  and  watched  the 
moving  cylinders. 

"  To  what  strength  of  wave  is  it  adjusted  ?  "  I 
asked. 

"  I've  put  it  on  the  high,"  said  Tom.  "  It's 
fixed  for  '  the  man's  '  waves.  I've  got  one  new 
dodge,  though,  among  others.  I  have  it  arranged 
so  I  could  have  told  at  any  time  whether  '  the  man ' 
was  sinking  a  ship  or  just  experimenting.  It's  so 
delicate  that  when  his  waves  strike  a  ship,  the 
machine  can  tell  it  by  the  slight  loss  in  power. 
See  here,"  he  turned  on  the  switch  in  its  revolu 
tion,  "  it's  this."  Flash  went  the  beam. 

A  groan  burst  from  Dorothy's  lips.  "  He's  at  it 
again.  There's  a  ship  gone  down." 

Tom's  face  was  ghastly.  "  That's  right,"  he 
said.  "Where  is  he?" 

Five  minute's  calculation  brought  it. 

"He's  in  Tokio,"   said  Dorothy. 

Tom  nodded.  '*  What  a  fiend  to  have  loose  in 
the  world.  Here  his  mission  is  accomplished  and 
war  is  over,  and  he  keeps  on." 

Dorothy  sprang  from  her  chair.  "  No,  it  isn't 
that.  I'm  sure  of  it.  He  doesn't  know  that  war 
is  over.  It  must  be  that.  We  must  tell  him  of  it." 


CHAPTER   XIX 

"  WHAT  is  your  idea,  Dorothy  ?  "  asked  Tom 
gravely.  This  last  catastrophe,  coming  when  all 
danger  from  the  man  who  had  stopped  all  war 
seemed  past,  had  sobered  us  all. 

'  You  said  there  was  a  mast  with  wires  beside 
the  conning  tower  of  the  submarine,  that  time  you 
saw  *  the  man,'  didn't  you,  Jim  ?  "  she  asked. 

I  nodded. 

[<  Well,  that  mast  was  the  aerial  of  a  wireless.  I 
don't  know  what  he  uses  it  for,  but  apparently  he 
has  one.  Now  that  we  have  the  Denckel  apparatus 
fixed  to  send  waves  to  any  given  point,  we  can  send 
off  waves  of  all  kinds  to  Tokio,  calling  him  and 
recalling  him,  until  we  get  a  wave  which  his  re 
ceiver  will  take.  Then  we  can  set  up  a  straight, 
wireless  receiving  station  here  to  take  his  answer." 

'  What  will  you  say  to  him  ?  "  Tom  asked. 

"  I'll  just  say,  —  *  To  the  man  who  stopped  all 
war.  War  is  over.  All  nations  are  disarming. 
Reply  to  us.'  ' 

"  It's  worth  trying,  anyway,"  said  Tom,  with 
an  air  of  finality.  "  I'll  go  right  to  work  setting  up 
a  receiving  plant.  I  can  do  that,  all  right,  but  I 
can't  send  Morse  through  our  machine." 

O 

269 


270  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

"  If  you'll  look  out  for  the  construction  end  of  it, 
I  can  send  Morse  over  an  ordinary  key,"  I  sug 
gested. 

"  Then  that's  settled,"  said  Tom.  "  I  can  set 
up  a  wireless  that  will  receive  any  waves  sent  from 
Japan,  and  I  can  set  up  a  duplicate  of  the  wave- 
measuring  machine  that  will  send  messages  straight 
to  Tokio,  by  means  of  an  ordinary  Morse  key. 
Where  had  we  better  run  our  aerial  ?  " 

"  Down  by  the  shore,"  said  Dorothy.  "  We 
want  to  avoid  the  interfering  action  of  the  currents 
that  are  loose  in  and  around  the  city." 

"  There's  one  thing  you've  forgotten,"  I  inter 
posed.  "  If  'the  man  '  is  in  a  submarine,  your 
message  may  not  reach  him  under  water." 

"  He'll  spend  most  of  his  time  on  the  surface," 
said  Tom.  '  With  a  first-class  submarine  he  could 
spend  two  months  under  water  at  a  time,  but  he 
wouldn't  want  to." 

"  Don't  spend  any  more  time  in  discussion, 
boys,"  interrupted  Dorothy.  ''  We  must  reach 
him  the  first  moment  possible,  before  any  other 
ship  goes  down.  Meanwhile,  Jim,  you  want  to 
get  this  to  the  paper,  don't  you  ?  " 

"  I  surely  do,"  I  responded,  and  I  hurried  off 
to  wire  the  London  office.  I  sent  my  telegram 
over  our  private  line,  and  waited  for  the  answer. 
In  five  minutes  it  came  back. 

"  Too  late,  this  time,  my  boy.     Japanese  first- 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  271 

class  battleship  disappeared  in  broad  daylight  in 
the  harbor  of  Tokio.  They  sent  it  on  here  im 
mediately,  and  we  have  had  it  for  some  minutes. 
Rest  on  your  laurels."  Signed,  Maxwell. 

"  Well,"  I  thought  to  myself,  as  I  returned,  "  I 
can  afford  to  rest  on  my  laurels.  There's  not  a 
country  in  the  civilized  world  where  my  name  is 
not  known  to-day."  My  mail  was  full  of  requests 
for  interviews,  for  magazine  articles,  for  lecture 
tours.  I  was  a  made  man,  and  as  I  mused  on  these 
things  I  walked  on  somewhat  more  proudly  than 
my  wont,  but  as  I  thought  over  the  experiences  of 
the  last  months,  saw  in  what  an  extraordinary 
fashion  fortune  had  played  into  my  hands,  saw 
how  Tom  Haldane  had  saved  my  life  by  his  shrewd 
foresight  and  scientific  knowledge,  and  saw,  most 
of  all,  how  I  had  profited  by  my  dear  girl's  quick 
wit,  I  became  far  more  humble.  Most  of  all,  I 
had  not  yet  accomplished  the  one  thing  I  set  out  to 
do.  I  had  not  found  the  man  who  was  stopping  all 
war.  He  still  eluded  me,  and  still  was  carrying  on 
his  dread  work.  I  reached  our  hotel  feeling  that  I 
was  really  a  very  ordinary  mortal,  after  all. 

While  I  had  been  gone,  events  had  been  moving 
swiftly.  Some  miles  out  from  The  Hague,  there 
was  a  little  inn  on  the  shore  among  the  dunes  over 
beyond  Scheveningen  to  which  we  had  twice 
motored  down  during  the  conference.  Thoroughly 
comfortable,  a  favorite  meeting  place  in  summer 


272  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

for  the  artist  colony  about  the  watering  place,  it 
was  now  almost  wholly  deserted,  because  of  the 
lateness  of  the  season.  We  felt  it  would  make  ideal 
headquarters  for  our  work,  and  soon  established 
ourselves  there.  Tom  was  never  more  in  his  ele 
ment  than  when  assembling  apparatus,  or  when 
controlling  men.  Here  was  his  chance  to  do  both. 
Like  magic,  the  tall  mast  reared  its  height  among 
the  dunes,  while  coils,  wires,  and  instruments  fell 
swiftly  into  place.  Acting  chiefly  as  a  burden 
bearer,  I  ran  to  and  fro,  while  Tom  and  Dorothy, 
with  their  assistants,  brought  things  to  completion. 
As  I  came  in  from  a  final  staying  of  the  aerial, 
Tom  turned  to  me,  wiping  the  sweat  of  honest  toil 
from  his  face. 

"  All  ready,  Jim,"  he  said.  "  If  you'll  start  a 
message  over  that  wire,  we'll  send  it  through  the 
ether  by  means  of  Denckel's  machine,  and  drop  it 
straight  on  Tokio.  Hold  on  a  minute,  though. 
Let  me  call  up  my  assistant  on  the  wave-measuring 
machine,  and  see  if  he  has  heard  anything." 

A  rapid  conversation  over  the  telephone  we  had 
installed,  resulted.  Tom  turned  back  to  me. 

"  As  yet,  I'm  thankful  to  say,  nothing  happened. 
'  The  man  '  has  evidently  been  experimenting  this 
morning,  and  was  experimenting  this  afternoon. 
He's  right  off  Tokio,  still.  Go  ahead." 

I  pressed  the  key  and  the  vibrant  discharge 
rattled  from  pole  to  pole.  Over  and  over  again 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  273 

I  gave  the  call.  "  To  the  man  who  has  stopped 
all  war."  Over  and  over  again  I  hurled  my 
message  out  across  half  a  world.  For  an  hour  I 
repeated  the  call,  my  eyes  and  ears  waiting  for 
some  response  from  the  sounder  at  my  left. 

"  Let's  shift  the  wave  strength,"  said  Tom,  and 
they  made  a  hurried  series  of  adjustments.  Once 
more  I  took  up  my  task,  and  at  five  minute  inter 
vals  for  three  hours  sent  out  my  call.  Again  and 
again  we  changed  the  strength  of  the  wave.  We 
struggled  with  the  insensate  metal  till  our  heads 
reeled.  At  last,  about  ten  o'clock,  we  gave  up  for 
the  day.  Dorothy  and  Tom  both  were  worn  out, 
and  both  went  to  their  rooms.  My  head  felt  too 
feverish  to  sleep,  so  I  wandered  out  for  a  final  pipe 
along  the  shore,  struggling  with  the  old  problem 
which  had  been  the  theme  of  my  thoughts  for  so 
long,  —  who  was  "  the  man,"  and  how  could  I  find 
him  ?  Again  and  again  Regnier  came  to  my  mind, 
as  I  debated  the  pros  and  cons  of  the  ever  vexing 
question.  Along  the  sand,  beside  the  black  water, 
over  dune,  and  through  the  long  wiry  grass  of  the 
hollows  I  tramped,  till  the  lights  of  Scheveningen 
were  just  ahead.  Neither  moon  nor  stars  shone 
forth,  and  my  feet  fell  noiselessly  on  the  yielding 
sand.  As  I  crossed  the  summit  of  a  dune,  I 
stumbled  on  the  prostrate  body  of  a  man  lying 
there  looking  out  to  sea.  I  hastened  to  utter 
apologies  in  French,  English  and  German,  but 


274  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

the  unknown  simply  bowed  courteously,  and 
started  back  in  the  direction  from  which  I  had 
come.  "  Some  smuggler,  I  presume,"  I  said  to 
myself.  "  For  want  of  anything  better  to  do,  I 
may  as  well  dog  his  steps."  On  and  on  in  the 
blackness  went  my  stranger,  his  head  bowed  as  if 
in  deep  thought.  By  beach  and  road  I  followed, 
till,  to  my  surprise,  as  we  came  up  to  the  door  of 
the  inn,  the  man  ahead  entered  without  once  turn 
ing  round.  I  hurried  after  him,  but  the  only 
occupant  of  the  wide  hall  was  the  proprietor. 
Mustering  my  best  French,  I  asked  news  of  the 
man  who  had  entered. 

"  An  Englishman,"  said  my  host,  "  mad,  a  little 
touched  here;"  he  laid  an  expressive  finger  beside 
his  head.  "  He  has  been  with  me  for  two  months. 
He  eats  and  stays  all  day  in  his  room.  He  goes  at 
night  and  looks  at  the  sea." 

An  Englishman  !  Strange  he  had  not  replied  to 
me.  But  weightier  matters  oppressed  me,  and  I 
went  to  bed,  only  to  pass  a  troubled  night, 
haunted  strangely  by  my  chance  acquaintance. 
Throughout  the  night  he  led  me  in  a  mad  chase, 
always  seeming  about  to  turn  into  some  one  I 
knew  and  wished  to  see,  but  always  at  the  moment 
of  recognition,  when  I  was  about  to  cry  his  name, 
he  faded,  changing  into  a  gigantic,  cloudy,  un 
familiar  form. 

The   morning  brought   a   messenger   from   the 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  275 

city  with  our  mail,  and  we  each  found  a  package 
of  letters  beside  our  plate  at  breakfast.  One  post 
marked  London  and  addressed  to  me  in  my  own 
handwriting,  I  seized  and  opened  eagerly.  It  was 
from  Hamerly.  I  had  sent  him  a  photograph  of 
Regnier,  which  I  had  received  only  a  week  before. 

"  Dorothy,"  I  said,  "  here  is  a  letter  from 
Hamerly  about  Regnier.  As  you  know,  I  sent 
him  that  picture." 

"  Read  it,  please,"  requested  Dorothy. 

I  obeyed. 

"  HALF  MOON  STREET, 

"  LONDON,  Nov.  zd,  19 — . 

"  DEAR  ORRINGTON  :  —  The    man  who   came 

out   of  Dr.  Heidenmuller's   locked  room    is  not 

the  man  of  your  picture.    Both  are  tall  and  dark, 

but  there  the  resemblance  ends.    No  allowance  for 

the  changes  of  a  year  could  make  them  the  same. 

I  am  sorry  that  the  clue  from  which  you  hoped  so 

much  should  have  ended  in  a  cul  de  sac.    I  see  by 

the  papers  that  the  possessor  of  this  dread  power 

has  not  ceased  his  awful  work.    The  country  here 

is  in  a  state  of  wild  excitement  and  fear  over  the 

sinking  of  the  Japanese  battleship.     I   sincerely 

trust  that  you  may  soon  be  successful  in  your  quest. 

"  Yours  fraternally, 

"  EDGAR  HAMERLY." 


276  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

"  I  knew  it,"  said  Dorothy,  with  conviction. 
"  I've  told  you  he  wasn't  *  the  man,'  from  the  very 
first." 

"  Well,"  ejaculated  Tom,  stirring  his  chocolate 
viciously,  "  I  wish  to  blazes  he  was,  or  at  least 
that  we  could  find  out  who  it  is,  and  make  him  un 
derstand  that  he's  a  blamed  fool."  Drinking  his 
chocolate,  Tom  rose  with  the  remark,  "  Now  I'm 
going  to  find  out  whether  the  Denckel  apparatus 
has  recorded  anything  new  during  the  night."  A 
few  minutes  later  he  returned,  with  a  negative 
shake  of  his  head.  Nothing,"  he  said.  "  Let's 
get  to  work." 

That  day  passed  as  had  the  preceding  afternoon 
and  evening.  Twelve  times  an  hour  I  sent  forth 
the  call.  As  each  hour  struck,  Tom  changed  the 
strength  of  the  wave.  The  morning  passed,  the 
long  afternoon  waned,  and  the  early  night  came  on. 
Monotonously,  as  I  pressed  the  key,  my  thoughts 
would  range  outward  into  space,  peering,  searching, 
striving  to  find  some  way  to  reach  the  man.  My 
only  occupation  was  the  watching  of  the  clock,  for 
Tom  and  Dorothy  were  working  hard  in  the  next 
room  on  plans  for  altering  the  wave-measuring 
machine  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  it  even  more 
effective. 

Directly  beneath  the  clock  on  the  wall,  a  window 
looked  out  to  sea.  As  the  evening  wore  on  towards 
night,  a  storm  rose,  and  the  fierce  wind  of  late 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  277 

autumn  drove  the  breakers  with  a  resounding  roar 
on  the  long  beach.  I  marked  the  hour,  as  the  storm 
reached  its  height,  —  9-O5-  I  sent  my  message, 
9.10.  I  sent  it  again,  and  as  I  raised  my  eyes  from 
my  key  I  looked  at  the  window.  There,  pressed 
against  the  pane,  was  the  face  of  a  man  we  had 
long  sought.  I  leaped  to  my  feet. 

"  There's  Regnier !  "  I  cried,  pointing  at  the 
window.  The  face  disappeared  as  I  spoke,  and 
Tom  and  Dorothy,  springing  from  their  chairs, 
looked  out  through  the  panes  at  the  storm.  In  the 
hush  of  the  night  the  sound  of  breakers  bore  in  on 
us  insistently. 

"  Wild  as  a  loon,"  said  Tom,  shaking  his  head 
mournfully  in  my  direction. 

"  Where  was  he  ?  "    asked  Dorothy. 

"  Right  outside  that  window !  "  I  shouted. 
"  Come,  we  must  find  him." 

We  all  started  for  the  outer  air,  but  before  we 
could  leave  the  room,  the  door  opened  and  Richard 
Regnier  entered.  Mental  trouble  showed  in  his 

O 

unquiet  look  and  in  his  hesitating  hand. 

"  Why,  Dick,"  began  Tom,  but  Dorothy,  with 
an  emphatic  gesture,  commanded  silence. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  Regnier  slowly,  and 
with  evident  difficulty.  "  I  saw  you  through  the 
window,  and  I  thought  somehow  I  might  have 
known  you  once,  and  that  you  could  tell  me  who  I 
am." 


278  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

Her  eyes  shining  with  pity,  Dorothy  spoke 
gently.  "  I'm  so  glad  to  see  you,  Richard.  Don't 
you  remember  you  are  Richard  Regnier,  and  that 
I  am  Dorothy  Haldane  ?  You  know  Tom,  here, 
my  brother,  well,  and  this  is  Jim  Orrington  whom 
you  met  one  night  in  Washington." 

At  Dorothy's  low  voice,  the  clouded  brow 
cleared.  The  curtain  rolled  from  the  darkened 
eyes,  and  the  bent  form  straightened.  "  Thank 
God.  I  am  Richard  Regnier.  But  where  am  I, 
and  how  did  I  get  here  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  You  are  on  the  coast  of  Holland,  near  The 
Hague,"  responded  Dorothy  quietly.  "  I  don't 
know  how  you  got  here." 

"  How  did  you  come  to  be  here  ? "  asked 
Regnier  eagerly. 

"  We  came  to  The  Hague  to  the  Peace  Congress, 
and  we  came  down  here  to  try  to  find  the  man  who 
has  stopped  all  war,"  answered  Dorothy. 

*  The  man  who  destroyed  the  Alaska  and  the 
Dreadnought  Number  8  ?  "  queried  Regnier,  in 
great  excitement.  "  I  have  known  nothing  since 
that  time.  Has  he  done  anything  since  ?  " 

"  Many  things,"  said  Dorothy  sadly.  "  He  is 
doing  great  harm  now,  and  that  is  why  we  are 
trying  to  reach  him.  We  ought  not  to  lose  a 
minute  more,  Jim.  If  you  and  Tom  will  go  to 
work  again,  I  will  sit  down  and  tell  Richard  about 
the  happenings  of  the  last  two  months." 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  279 

Back  we  went  to  our  tasks  and,  as  I  pounded 
out  the  message,  waited  five  minutes  and  pounded 
it  out  again,  I  thought  of  the  strange  suspicion 
under  which  Regnier  had  lain.  I  had  believed 
him  the  man  who  had  sunk  every  battleship  on 
that  fatal  day.  I  had  felt  convinced  that  he  was 
the  man  for  whom  we  had  searched  so  diligently 
for  weeks.  And  while  we  searched,  he  had  been 
wandering  along  the  sands  of  the  Holland  coast. 

Regnier  and  Dorothy  had  sat  for  perhaps  half 
an  hour  in  earnest  conversation,  when  they  rose 
and  came  over  to  us. 

"  Tom,"  said  Dorothy,  "  Dick  has  had  more 
experience  with  wireless  apparatus  than  you  have. 
Suppose  you  let  him  look  over  the  whole  business." 

"  Glad  enough  to  have  him,"  answered  Tom. 
if  It's  always  possible  there  may  be  an  error  some 
where." 

Step  by  step,  Regnier  examined  the  transmitting 
end  of  the  apparatus,  passed  from  the  house  to  the 
aerial,  came  back,  and  went  over  the  receiving  end 
in  every  part.  As  he  ended,  he  straightened  up. 

"  If  you  don't  mind,  Tom,  I'd  like  to  change 
that  coherer  a  little.  I  should  judge  that  your 
transmitter  was  all  right,  but  I  question  if  you 
could  get  a  reply  from  Tokio  through  the  coherer, 
as  it  now  stands  connected  with  that  sounder." 

"  Go  ahead,"  said  Tom,  and  I  rose  from  my  seat 
and  went  over  beside  Dorothy,  while  Regnier 


280  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

worked  at  the  powdery  mass  in  the  glass  tube.  He 
took  up  the  tube  at  last  and  held  it  to  the  light. 

"  There,  let's  try  that,"  he  said,  and  placed  the 
tube  in  its  supports,  screwing  up  the  terminals. 
Scarcely  had  he  made  the  last  turn  when  the 
sounder  broke  forth.  Clickety  clack,  clack,  clack, 
clack.  Dots  and  dashes  came  with  the  rapidity  of 
a  practised  sender.  Swiftly  I  read  them  off,  as 
they  came  to  my  telephone  receiver. 

"  I  am  the  man  who  is  trying  to  stop  all  war. 
Is  your  news  true  ?  What  do  you  want  of  me  ? 
Why  don't  you  answer  ?  " 

I  jumped  to  my  seat  beside  the  key,  and  sent  the 
answer  out  into  the  ether  about  us. 

"  We  have  only  just  got  your  answer  through 
the  receiver.  Our  news  is  true.  All  the  nations 
are  disarming.  Why  do  you  not  cease  sinking 
battleships  ?  Your  purpose  is  accomplished." 

I  had  scarcely  ended  when  the  reply  came  back. 

"  When  did  the  nations  agree  on  peace  ?  Who 
are  you  ?  " 

"  The  nations  agreed  on  peace  and  made  a 
solemn  covenant  that  all  would  disarm  ten  days 
ago.  The  four  sending  this  message  are  Professor 
Thomas  Haldane  and  Miss  Dorothy  Haldane  of 
New  York,  Richard  Regnier  of  Savannah  and 
James  Orrington  of  New  York." 

There  was  a  perceptible  pause  this  time,  befote 
the  sounder  resumed  its  motion.  Then  it  began. 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  281 

"  I  believe  what  you  say.  Are  the  nations  living 
up  to  their  agreements  as  to  disarmament  ?  " 

"  Completely,"  I  replied.  "  Every  one  of  the 
nations  is  living  up  to  the  agreement  in  spirit  and 
in  truth.  The  greatest  anxiety  which  the  world 
feels  at  present  is  with  regard  to  your  sinking  the 
Japanese  battleship,  and  from  fear  of  your  future 
action." 

There  was  a  long  pause,  and  then  the  words 
came  slowly. 

"  How  can  I  allay  that  fear  ?  " 

I  had  been  rapidly  reading  my  sendings  and  my 
answers  to  the  other  three  who  sat  looking  eagerly 
at  the  sounder.  As  I  read  off  that  last  question, 
Dorothy  spoke  up  eagerly. 

"  If  he  can  communicate  with  us  by  wireless, 
why  can  he  not  send  a  message  in  the  same  way  to 
all  countries  ?  " 

I  passed  on  the  suggestion,  and  slowly  this 
answer  came  back. 

"  I  will  send  this  message  to  the  ruler  of  every 
country.  I  send  it  to  you  first,  for  you  have  saved 
me  from  causing  death  unnecessarily.  '  The  man 
who  has  stopped  all  war  now  declares  unto  you 
that  since  peace  has  come,  since  every  nation  is 
now  disarming,  he  will  cease  his  labors.  The  ships 
of  the  nations  may  now  sail  the  seas  without  harm 
from  him.  The  sailors  shall  be  safe  from  his  hand. 
This  will  he  do,  if  peace  be  sure  and  disarmament 


282  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

be  complete.  But,  on  the  day  that  any  nation 
violates  its  solemn  oath  and  arms  its  citizens,  on 
that  day  will  he  rise,  and  no  ship,  be  it  battleship 
or  peaceful  merchantman,  bearing  that  country's 
flag,  shall  be  safe  from  destruction.' ' 

The  sounder  ceased  its  clamor.  Tom  spoke  in  a 
low  voice,  as  if  he  feared  to  be  overheard. 

"  How  can  we  tell  he  is  the  man  and  not  some 
one  else,  who  is  simply  playing  with  us  ?  We  can't 
afford  to  take  risks.  Ask  him,  Jim,  how  we  can 
know  that  he  is  really  the  man  who  has  stopped  all 
war." 

I  turned  to  my  key  and  sent  ofF  the  question. 
Back  came  the  answer. 

"  By  the  first  letter  which  I  erased  and  which 
was  found,  you  shall  know  me." 

"  That  settles  it  in  my  mind,"  I  said.  '  That's 
known  to  not  more  than  a  dozen  people,  and  none 
of  them  would  be  sending  this." 

Tom,  meanwhile,  had  stepped  into  the  next 
room,  and  was  talking  quietly  to  his  assistant.  He 
spoke  to  me.  "  Keep  him  going  a  minute,  Jim. 
I  want  to  get  a  message  from  him." 

"  Is  there  anything  more  you  wish  to  know  ?  " 
I  asked  the  man  by  wireless. 

"  Nothing,"  he  replied.  "  Do  you  wish  to  say 
anything  to  me  ?  " 

I  could  hear  Tom's  excited  voice. 

"Got  it?" 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  283 

"  Just  once  more,  Jim,"  he  said. 

'  There  is  nothing  more,"  went  out  from  the 
aerial. 

*  Then  I  thank  you  for  telling  me  of  this.  You 
have  spared  me  and  spared  others  much  by  your 
wisdom.  Good-bye." 

"  Good-bye,"  I  ended,  as  Tom  stepped  from  the 
'phone,  his  face  beaming. 

"  Quickest  thing  on  record,  that.  I  got  my  man 
to  set  the  machine  for  the  wireless  waves  '  the  man  ' 
is  using,  and  got  two  records,  both  from  Tokio. 
That  settles  it,  once  for  all." 

The  storm  was  still  at  its  height.  The  house 
rocked  with  the  wind,  but  the  wild  moan  of  the 
breakers,  forgotten  while  we  talked  with  the  man 
on  the  other  side  of  the  world,  now  made  their 
presence  manifest.  The  single  light  within  shone 
on  blackened  beam  and  rough  hewn  settle,  into 
dim  but  spotless  corners,  on  glistening  tile  and  dark 
polished  floor.  Our  little  group  in  modern  costume, 
standing  about  the  table  where  the  instruments 
were  placed,  seemed  an  anachronism.  We  should 
have  been  garbed  like  Rembrandt's  models,  and 
in  place  of  key,  relay  and  coherer,  there  should 
have  been  simply  one  massive  oaken  table. 

Tom  turned  to  Regnier.  "  Do  you  know,  Dick, 
what  happened  to  your  head  ?  " 

"  Sh,"  said  Dorothy,  looking  quickly  at  Regnier. 
Regnier  smiled  as  he  saw  her  movement.     '  You 


284  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

needn't  worry,  Dorothy.  I  shall  be  very  glad  to 
tell  you  all  I  can."  He  turned  to  Tom.  "  I  think 
the  injury  to  my  head  came  from  the  man  who 
stopped  all  war." 


CHAPTER   XX 

"  You  don't  mean  that  literally,"  exclaimed 
Tom. 

Regnier  nodded  quietly.  "  I  mean  that  I  be 
lieve  my  memory  was  deliberately  taken  from  me 
by  the  man  who  stopped  all  war,  when  he  found  I 
was  on  the  track  of  his  secret.  But  it's  rather  a  long 
story,  and  it's  well  on  towards  morning.  Shall  we 
have  it  now,  or  put  off  the  tale  till  to-morrow  ?  " 

"  To-night,  by  all  means,"  answered  Tom. 
"  That  is,  providing  you  feel  up  to  it." 

"  I  feel  perfectly  fit  now,"  said  Regnier,  "  so  if 
you  all  want  to  hear  it,  I'll  go  back  to  the  very  be 
ginning  and  tell  it  all." 

We  settled  down  to  listen.  Tom  threw  some 
coal,  with  a  lavish  hand,  into  the  small  firepot  of 
the  great  Dutch  stove. 

"  Now  this  is  cosy.  Go  ahead,  Dick,  with  your 
yarn." 

Dorothy  beside  me  on  the  big  settle  gave  my 
hand  one  squeeze,  and  echoed  Tom's  words.  "  Go 
ahead,  Dick." 

All  the  lights  had  been  lowered,  save  for  a  single 
bracket  lamp,  which  shone  on  Regnier's  melan- 

285 


286  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

choly  but  expressive  face.  As  he  began,  the  storm 
changed  its  key,  and  came  in  steady,  driving  force 
rather  than  in  great  gusts. 

"  It  really  began  that  night  at  Mrs.  Hartnell's," 
he  said  reflectively.  "  I  was  tremendously  im 
pressed  by  that  second  letter  which  came  out  from 
beneath  the  visible  one  and,  try  as  I  would,  I  could 
not  shake  off  a  feeling  that  the  message  was  true ; 
that  the  man  who  wrote  possessed  some  strange 
and  awful  power,  which  would  make  it  possible  for 
him  to  do  what  he  threatened.  When  I  left  you 
that  night,  I  could  not  sleep.  I  looked  at  the 
problem  from  every  side,  and  finally  analyzed  it 
down  to  this.  If '  the  man  '  is  to  do  this,  he  must 
either  be  a  great  scientist  himself,  or  have  obtained 
his  secret  from  some  great  scientist.  I  went  further. 
I  made  up  my  mind  that  the  most  probable  line  of 
work  to  produce  such  a  destroying  agent  would  be 
along  the  lines  of  radio-active  experiments.  In 
consequence,  I  went  directly  to  work,  and  with  the 
help  of  two  assistants,  I  reviewed  all  the  literature 
of  radio-active  matter  which  had  appeared  in  the 
last  five  years,  and  made  a  digest  of  the  papers, 
their  subjects  and  their  authors.  Then  came  my 
time  of  sailing  for  abroad,  and  I  took  the  digest 
with  me.  I  spent  most  of  my  time  on  the  way  over 
in  a  systematic  sorting  out  of  the  men  who  had 
made  the  greatest  advances,  and  who  would  be  the 
most  likely  to  obtain  some  great  result.  I  finally 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  287 

narrowed  my  choice  down  to  five.  One  of  the  five 
was  Heidenmuller.  He  had  published  his  last 
paper  in  the  Zeitschrift  fur  Physicalische  Chemie  in 
April,  19 — ,  and  had  published  nothing  since.  As 
soon  as  I  landed  I  hastened  to  get  a  file  of  the 
magazine,  and  found  that  in  a  somewhat  deeply 
technical  paper  he  had  spoken  of  the  possibility 
that  a  radio-active  agent,  powerful  enough  to  give 
an  ultimate  resolution  of  any  metal,  might  be  ob 
tained.  That  was  enough  for  me;  I  started  straight 
for  London  and  Heidenmuller.  As  you  know,  I 
found  him  dead,  but  I  heard  the  story  of  his  death 
and  I  knew  by  that  time  that  if  he  had  possessed 
the  secret,  he  must  have  passed  it  on  to  some  one 
else.  So  I  went  to  work.  I  did  not  look  up  Swen- 
ton  because  I  found  that  Heidenmuller's  first 
assistant,  Griegen,  had  gone  as  wireless  operator  on 
one  of  the  big  yachts  then  at  Cowes.  So  I  went 
down  there,  chartered  a  small  yacht,  and  spent  a 
week  hunting  for  Griegen.  I  think  I  wrote  you 
from  there,"  he  said  to  Dorothy. 

"  You  did,"  she  replied. 

Regnier  went  on.  "  Well,  to  cut  that  short,  I 
hired  Griegen  to  come  back  to  London  with  me,  to 
make  a  thorough  search  of  Heidenmuller's  labora 
tories,  which  I  had  hired  just  as  they  stood.  We 
hunted  for  two  days  without  avail  when,  one  after 
noon,  I  went  down  to  the  city  to  do  some  errands. 
I  came  back  to  my  lodgings  to  find  Griegen  there 


290  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

would  have  meant  the  death  of  many  thousands 
more." 

"  One  thing  I  should  like  to  know,"  said  Tom 
reflectively,  "  How  do  you  account  for  your  loss  of 
memory  ?  " 

"  I'm  not  sure,"  answered  Regnier,  "  but,  if  you 
remember,  there  was  a  paper  published  by  some 
Germans  a  while  ago,  which  discussed  the  proper 
ties  of  an  anaesthetic  which  produced  a  loss  of  mem 
ory.  It  was  one  of  the  hydrocarbon  compounds, 
and  from  the  odor  which  came  to  me,  I  think 
my  loss  of  memory  may  have  come  that  way." 

"  That's  a  possible  solution,"  said  Tom.  "  At 
least  it  will  do,  unless  we  strike  a  better.  But, 
confound  it  all,  we  haven't  got  '  the  man  '  who  has 
been  at  the  bottom  of  all  this." 

"  Well,  the  search  isn't  over  yet,"  interrupted 
Dorothy.  "  We  can  go  on  with  it,  now." 

"  We  will  go  on  with  it,"  I  broke  in.  "  But  I 
think  we  can  do  it  much  better  from  New  York  for 
a  while." 

Tom  laughed.  "  Yes,"  he  said.  "  There  is  no 
question  that  as  long  as  Dorothy  has  made  up  her 
mind  to  be  married  in  New  York,  New  York  is 
the  one  place  from  which  to  conduct  the  search  for 
the  present.  Anyway,  I'm  not  going  to  Tokio.  I 
imagine  '  the  man  '  will  come  right  back  home 
now." 

'  The  Denckel  apparatus  was  the  means  that 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  291 

stopped  '  the  man/  after  all,"  I  said  musingly. 
"  It  has  done  so  much,  that  I  hope  it  will  do  the 
final  thing  of  all,  and  discover  '  the  man/  ' 

Dorothy  rose.  "  I  hope  it  will,"  she  remarked. 
"  But,  anyway,  we've  sat  long  enough.  Now  the 
thing  I  want  to  know  is  what  our  host  has  to  say  of 
the  way  Dick  came  here." 

That  was  the  question  of  the  next  morning,  but 
the  innkeeper  could  tell  us  little.  Regnier  had 
arrived  in  the  company  of  an  Englishman  who  had 
paid  his  board  for  three  months,  had  told  them  to 
take  especial  care  of  the  patient,  and  had  left  a 
package  for  him.  That  was  all  he  knew.  Regnier 
seized  the  package  given  him,  and  opened  it  ea 
gerly.  Two  inner  envelopes  came  next,  and  from 
the  innermost  he  drew  a  package  of  five  pound 
notes.  He  counted  them. 

'  The  man  '  didn't  intend  to  have  me  starve," 
he  said.  "  Here's  two  hundred  pounds.  He  must 
have  given  them  to  me,  for  I  didn't  have  five 
pounds  in  my  pocket  that  night." 

When  the  messenger  came  from  the  city  with 
the  morning  papers,  we  read  them  with  avidity. 
*  The  man  '  had  kept  his  word.  Every  govern 
ment  had  received  a  wireless  message  couched  in 
practically  the  same  words  as  that  which  he  had 
sent  us.  The  world  might  rest  easy,  as  long  as 
peace  reigned.  We  met  in  the  wireless  room  after 
breakfast. 


292  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

"  May  as  well  go  to  work  taking  this  thing 
down,"  said  Tom. 

Our  work  at  The  Hague  was  over,  and  we 
hastened  to  pack  our  belongings  and  made  ready 
to  return  to  London  by  the  Hook  of  Holland. 

To  the  Savoy  we  went,  a  company  of  four. 
Regnier  wished  to  get  back  into  the  world  and  to 
learn  of  the  state  of  his  affairs.  We  were  anxious 
to  get  back  to  New  York  by  the  first  steamer  we 
could  reach.  I  was  especially  anxious,  for  Dorothy 
had  agreed,  after  much  urging,  to  marry  me  a 
month  after  we  reached  New  York.  There  were 
no  relatives  to  hinder,  and  Tom,  good  old  chap, 
seemed  almost  as  glad  of  our  approaching  marriage 
as  ourselves.  I  wanted  to  get  back  for  another 
reason,  too.  I  had  been  too  long  out  of  the 
writing  game,  and  I  felt  that  I  could  not  afford  to 
lose  the  momentum  which  my  work  with  regard  to 
the  man  who  stopped  all  war  had  given  me.  So 
we  secured  passage  on  a  boat  leaving  Liverpool 
three  days  after  we  reached  London. 

The  day  before  we  sailed,  I  found  a  letter  in  my 
mail  with  the  royal  arms.  It  was  an  invitation  to 
James  Orrington,  Esq.,  to  be  present  at  the  mus 
tering  out  of  the  last  regiments  of  the  British  army 
in  Hyde  Park  that  morning. 

"  We'll  go,"  said  Dorothy. 

As  she  spoke,  a  waiter  came  to  my  side.  "  Gen 
tleman  to  see  you,  sir." 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  293 

I  smiled  as  I  rose.  "  That's  not  so  thrilling  a 
message  now,  sweetheart,  as  it  has  been  any  time 
these  last  months."  Outside  in  the  corridor  was 
a  gentleman  of  rather  distinguished  appearance, 
whom  I  had  not  seen  before. 

"  Mr.  James  Orrington  ?  "  he  said  inquiringly. 

I  responded  affirmatively. 

"  I  am  Sir  Arthur  Braithwaite,  one  of  the  King's 
equerries,"  he  said.  "  He  sent  you  this  by  me," 
and  he  handed  me  a  package  and  withdrew.  I 
turned  away  to  find  Tom  and  Dorothy  just  passing. 
I  showed  them  the  package. 

"  Come  up  to  my  rooms,"  said  Dorothy  eagerly. 
"  We'll  open  it  there.  This  is  just  like  getting 
Christmas  presents." 

The  outer  layers  off  showed  a  square  white  box. 
I  pressed  the  spring.  Within  lay  a  golden  cigarette 
case.  Its  top  held  an  inscription  in  exquisitely 
carved  letters.  '  To  James  Orrington,  Esquire. 
He  served  the  State  before  Himself."  I  lifted  the 
case  from  its  bed.  Below  was  a  brief  note  in  the 
King's  own  hand.  Beside  the  address  and  signa 
ture,  it  bore  these  words :  "  I  have  never  forgotten 
the  service  you  did  to  England,  to  the  world,  and  to 
me." 

I  looked  up.  Dorothy's  eyes  were  veiled  in  a 
mist  of  tears.  She  came  to  me  and  kissed  me. 
"  Dear,  I'm  so  glad,  so  proud  of  every  bit  of  recog 
nition.  You  deserve  all  of  it,"  and  Tom  wrung 


294  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

my  hand  with  his  old  numbing  grip,  crying, 
"  Bully  for  you,  old  man.  That's  the  first  bit  of 
furniture  for  the  new  house." 

There  was  just  time  for  us  to  reach  Hyde  Park 
before  the  review,  and  we  all  three  crowded  into  a 
hansom  and  sped  away.  Thousands  surrounded 
the  reviewing  field,  and  it  was  only  with  difficulty 
that  we  found  our  way  through.  Our  card  of 
invitation  worked  wonders,  however,  and  with  that 
marvellous  command  of  crowds  which  the  London 
police  possess,  we  finally  came  through  and  found 
ourselves  at  the  reviewing  stand,  just  as  the  band 
announced  the  coming  of  the  troops.  The  Foot 
Guards  first,  with  that  strange  downthrust  of  the 
foot,  relic  of  the  marching  step  of  many  decades 
ago,  then  the  Scots,  and  then  regiment  after  regi 
ment,  till  the  whole  field  was  covered  with  the  pride 
of  Britain's  troops  in  their  most  gorgeous  panoply 
of  war.  The  King,  in  field  marshal's  uniform, 

O7  * 

stood  at  the  centre.  What  thoughts  must  have 
racked  his  brain  as  he  stood  there  silent,  erect, 
immobile  !  What  visions  of  the  long  line  of  Eng 
lish  sovereigns  !  What  memories  of  the  thousands 
of  reviews  of  centuries  past,  when  Britain's 
soldiers  left  for  wars  of  conquest,  or  returned, 
bearing  new  laurels,  offering  new  lands  to  the  great 
island  empire  !  The  music  ceased.  As  if  by  one 
accord,  the  ensigns  of  the  regiments,  bearing  the 
old  flags,  torn  by  shot  and  shell,  revealing  in 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  295 

golden  scroll  the  record  of  British  prowess,  came 
to  the  front  and  centre.  Then,  in  one  long  line, 
forward  came  the  colors.  The  King  saluted,  and 
they  turned  and  formed  a  compact  mass  of  brilliant 
color  on  the  right.  I  heard  a  whispered  question 
and  answer. 

'  What  is  to  be  done  with  the  colors  ?  " 
"They  are  to  go  to  the  Abbey  for  a  chapel  of  the 
flags."   ' 

I  watched  the  pageant,  breathless.  A  hoarse 
command  and  the  troops  stacked  arms;  another 
and  the  music  started  up.  Proudly,  defiantly,  in 
perfect  formation,  the  troops  wheeled  and  started 
the  march  past,  their  empty  hands  swaying  at  their 
sides.  As  they  passed,  the  King  saluted  with 
raised  hand,  the  officers'  swords  rising  and  falling 
with  regular  rhythm.  As  they  passed  the  gleaming 
mass  of  color  where  stood  the  flags,  they  saluted 
once  more.  I  could  see  the  tears  streaming  from 
the  rugged  cheeks  of  many  a  war-worn  veteran, 
and  my  own  throat  contracted  at  the  spectacle. 
The  King  stood  motionless  at  the  salute.  As  they 
formed  after  the  march,  and  stood  for  the  last  time 
in  those  ranks  which  had  so  often  faced  the  foe,  the 
general  commanding  turned  and  raised  his  sword. 
Cheer  upon  cheer  broke  forth  for  the  King,  and  I 
found  myself  with  Tom,  good  Americans  as  we 
were,  cheering  wildly,  though  with  dry  throats. 
The  King  raised  his  hand  and  the  sound  ceased. 


296  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

He  said  but  a  single  sentence.  "  Soldiers  of  the 
British  Empire  !  My  soldiers,  farewell ! "  Once 
more  the  cheering  broke  forth,  but  through  the 
sound  came  music,  and  troop  by  troop,  they  wheeled 
and  marched  away.  Not  till  the  last  man  had  gone 
did  the  King  move,  and  when  he  turned  I  could  see 
his  face  white  and  drawn  with  the  agony  of  the 
hour.  He  walked  heavily  to  his  carriage  and  drove 
away,  lifting  his  hat  mechanically  in  response  to 
the  salutation  of  the  crowd. 

That  night  Regnier  dined  with  us.  I  had  never 
seen  him  so  gay,  so  brilliant.  He  was  full  of  his 
plans  for  an  expedition  to  the  Ural  Mountains  in 
search  of  some  new  deposits  of  platinum,  for  which 
he  had  obtained  a  grant  from  the  Russian  govern 
ment.  He  was  the  life  of  our  party,  and  we  parted 
from  him  with  regret.  As  he  left,  I  walked  out  into 
the  courtyard  with  him.  He  turned  suddenly. 

"  Orrington,"  he  said,  "  you've  got  the  finest 
girl  in  the  world  to  be  your  wife.  You're  not  good 
enough  for  her.  Nobody  is,  but  I'm  sure  you'll 
make  her  happy.  I've  loved  her  for  five  years.  I 
knew  from  the  very  first  I  had  no  chance.  Good 
bye,  and  God  bless  you  both." 

I  stood  and  watched  him  till  he  passed  through 
the  arch  and  was  lost  in  the  roaring  tide  of  the 
Strand. 

"  Poor  chap,"  I  said  musingly,  as  I  turned  away. 
"  Poor  chap." 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  297 

The  voyage  home  was  uneventful.  The  month 
before  the  wedding  we  spent  chiefly  in  making 
plans  for  our  new  home,  which  was  to  be  a  country 
home.  Slowly  dragged  the  days  before  the  wed 
ding,  twenty  days,  fifteen,  ten,  five.  At  last  it 
came. 

As  Tom  and  I  came  up  to  the  church  on  the 
wedding  day,  the  snow  was  lying  on  the  narrow 
lawn,  crusting  the  roof  and  eaves  with  glittering 
crystals,  and  turning  the  ivy  to  a  soft,  clinging 
cloud.  The  flooding  sunlight,  transmitted  through 
the  two  great  windows  of  the  tower,  threw  strange 
hues  on  the  white  tapestry  and  carpet  of  late  winter. 
From  within  sounded  the  full  diapason  of  the  organ, 
breaking  into  rivers  and  floods  of  melody  as  the 
organist  practised  his  prelude  to  the  wedding 
march. 

We  swung  back  the  door  to  find  ourselves  in  the 
midst  of  a  group  of  ushers,  who  fell  upon  me  with 
one  last  volley  of  cheering  and  jeering  remarks  as 
I  hurried  through.  I  hastened  by  them,  laughing, 
and  passed  with  Tom  to  the  tiny  room  beside  the 
organ,  where  we  were  to  wait  till  the  moment  that 
Dorothy  came.  After  much  discussion,  it  had  been 
determined  that  Dorothy's  uncle  should  give  her 
away,  while  Tom  acted  as  best  man. 

'"'  It  gives  me  rather  more  of  a  share  in  the  pro 
ceedings,"  he  said,  —  "I  always  like  to  have 
something  doing." 


298  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

The  body  of  the  church  was  hidden  from  our 
sight,  but  just  before  us  rose  the  altar,  lit  by  brazen 
candelabra  which  rested  upon  the  altar  cloth, 
hanging  in  heavy  folds,  and  reached  to  the  great 
mullioned  window  overhead,  from  which  the  Christ 
looks  down  in  silent  benediction.  As  we  sat  wait 
ing,  I  breathed  a  silent  prayer  that  I  might  be 
worthy,  that  our  life  together  might  be  consecrated 
to  loving  service,  that  we  might  —  Tom's  voice 
broke  in  on  my  half  formulated  thoughts.  N 

"  See  the  Alpha  and  Omega  embroidered  on  the 
altar  cloth  ?  " 

I  nodded. 

"  And  the  Alpha  of  the  whole  thing  came  that 
day  in  Washington  when  you  read  the  letter  from 
'  the  man.'  Here's  a  part  of  the  Omega.  The 
beginning  and  the  end.  How  little  you  could 
dream  of  all  that  has  come  when  you  left  your 
office  to  look  up  some  stupid  transports,  —  or 
Dorothy  imagine  it  when  she  went  down  to  stand 
ardize  that  radium.  But  the  end  will  never  be 
complete  till  we  find  'the  man.'  While  he  roams  the 
earth  with  his  secret  the  world  is  never  wholly  safe." 

So  the  thread  that  had  bound  Dorothy  and  me 
together  wove  into  our  wedding  hour.  Our  con 
versation  ended  there  however,  for  at  that  moment 
a  low  bell  tinkled,  the  first  bars  of  the  march  began, 
and  I  started  forward  to  meet  my  bride. 

Quietly,  reverently,  happily,  Dorothy  and  I  took 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  299 

up  our  life  together.  Dorothy  was  never  more 
beautiful,  never  more  womanly  and  sweet  than 
when  she  said  "  I  do  "  in  her  low  voice,  and 
turned  towards  me  with  a  look  of  loving  confidence. 

We  had  two  weeks  in  the  South,  and  then  came 
back  by  special  request  to  the  Haldane  house  on 
the  Long  Island  shore,  where  Tom  had  set  up  the 
wave-measuring  machine  in  a  laboratory  which  he 
had  built  on  a  bluff  just  above  the  beach  and  in 
which  he  was  still  at  work  on  new  ideas. 

The  morning  after  we  arrived,  Dorothy  and  I 
went  out  after  breakfast  to  find  Tom,  who  was 
bending  over  an  inner  cylinder  of  the  machine, 
while  the  belt  of  metal  quietly  revolved. 

"  Got  the  whole  thing  set  up,  just  as  we  used  to 
have  it,  haven't  you  ?  "  I  said. 

'  Yes,"  said  Tom.  "  I'm  always  on  the  lookout 
for  '  the  man,'  and  then,  too,  I've  got  a  notion  that 
I  can  make  some  changes  in  the  recording  appara 
tus  that  will  make  computation  easier." 

"  Has  the  man  been  experimenting  at  all  lately 
with  his  high  waves  ?  "  asked  Dorothy. 

.  "  Yes,"  answered  Tom.  "  I  leave  the  machine 
adjusted  for  them  every  day,  but  I've  only  heard 
from  him  twice.  I  always  keep  two  or  three  un 
charged  reflectoscopes  on  hand,  as  well.  Some  day 
he  may  go  to  experimenting  where  I  can  get  hold  of 
something." 

I  stood  looking  lazily  out  of  the  window.  A  large 


300  The  Man  Who  Ended  War 

yacht  lay  just  offshore,  her  white  sides  glistening 
in  the  morning  sun.  There  was  a  touch  of  spring 
in  the  winter  air.  Suddenly,  before  my  horror- 
stricken  eyes,  the  yacht  changed  to  a  confused 
mass  of  boards  which  rose  and  fell  on  the  tide.  I 
heard  a  cry  from  Tom  and  Dorothy.  "The  man  !  " 

I  turned.  The  golden  ribbons  of  the  reflecto- 
scopes  once  more  stood  stiffly  separate  and  the 
moving  belt  stood  still.  The  beam  of  light  was 
just  fluttering  to  rest  almost  on  the  zero. 

"  Out  there  !  Right  out  there  !  "  I  shouted. 
"  Come !  "  and  throwing  open  the  door,  I  rushed 
towards  the  beach,  followed  by  the  others.  I 
pointed  to  the  mass  of  wreckage  rising  and  falling 
on  the  tide.  "  There  !  there  !  "  I  shouted.  "  He 
just  destroyed  that  yacht." 

"  There's  a  survivor,"  cried  Tom,  as  we  ran 
stumbling  on  over  the  rocks  and  sand  towards  a 
plank  which  bore  a  living  man  towards  shore. 
Just  as  we  came  to  him,  he  struck  bottom  and 
groped  forward  on  his  hands  and  knees  through 
the  waves.  He  reached  the  dry  sand,  rose  and 
walked  towards  us.  I  looked  at  the  man  in  amaze 
ment.  I  knew  those  features,  yet  they  were  so 
strangely  drawn  and  fixed,  so  dominated  by  the 
dread-compelling  power  of  the  eyes  that  I  paused. 
Then  it  came  to  me.  "  John  King,"  I  cried  in 
amazement.  King  came  steadily  onward.  A 
lightning  flash  illumined  my  brain. 


The  Man  Who  Ended  War  301 

"  Are  you  the  man  who  stopped  all  war  ?  "  I 
cried  eagerly. 

Dorothy  reached  my  side  and  clung  to  me  as 
John  King  advanced  with  hesitating  steps. 

"  I  am,"  he  answered  slowly. 

'  Then  why  —  then  why  did  you  destroy  the 
yacht  ?  "  shouted  Tom,  stammering  in  his  excite 
ment.  "  How  —  how  have  you  lived  when  the 
others  perished  ?  " 

"  The  time  to  end  had  come,"  said  John,  in 
muffled,  solemn  tones.  "  I  alone  am  immune;  I 
did  not  think  I  was."  As  he  spoke  a  still  more 
awful  change  began  to  pass  over  his  features.  He 
staggered,  stopped,  and  put  his  hand  to  his  brow. 
"I  —  am  —  the  —  last  —  victim,"  he  went  on  fal- 
teringly.  "I  —  pay  —  the  —  final  —  price."  The 
last  words  came  in  a  thick  gasp,  "My  secret  is  safe." 

As  he  said  that,  he  fell,  and  when  we  reached 
him  he  lay  dead.  The  expression  of  his  face  had 
changed  again.  The  sombre,  awful  majesty  which 
had  illumined  it  was  gone.  He  looked  once  more 
like  the  young  lad  I  had  known  and  loved  in  years 
gone  by,  whose  face  so  well  expressed  his  noble 
spirit,  ever  impatient  of  injustice  and  wrong.  After 
the  weary  struggle,  his  soul  was  once  more  poised 
and  at  rest.  The  world  and  the  man  who  stopped 
all  war  were  both  at  peace. 

THE    END. 


"Mr.  Oppenheim' s  sixteenth  novel —  and  his  best " 


THE  AVENGEK 


By  E.  PHILLIPS   OPPENHEIM 

Fully  Illustrated.     Cloth,  $1.50 


A  lively,  thrilling,  captivating  story.  —  New  York  Times 
Saturday  Review. 

It  shows  power  and  a  sense  of  the  dramatic  value  of  the 
unexpected.  —  London  Evening  News. 

A  capital  specimen  of  the  Oppenheim  novel,  showing  Mr. 
Oppenheim  at  his  best.  —  New  York  World. 

By  far  the  cleverest  plot  Mr.  Oppenheim  has  invented 
is  introduced  in  this  story.  —  Book  News  Monthly. 

Probably  excels  any  book  yet  written  by  this  prolific 
and  ingenious  teller  of  stories.  —  Philadelphia  Press. 

An  ingenious  and  exciting  mystery  tale.  The  solution 
of  the  mystery  is  wholly  unexpected.  —  New  York  Sun. 

Mr.  Oppenheim  goes  forward  and  not  backward.  Each 
book  that  comes  from  his  pen  shows  a  superiority  in  plot, 
movement,  character  drawing,  and  literary  quality  over 
iti  predecessors.  —  Chicago  Record  Herald. 

Not  one  reader  in  a  thousand  will  penetrate  the  secret 
of  this  murder  until  just  before  Mr.  Oppenheim  reveals  it, 
for  it  is  guarded  with  consummate  art.  .  .  .  The  plot  is 
one  of  the  best  that  Oppenheim  has  devised.  —  -San  Fran 
cisco  Chronicle. 


LITTLE,   BROWN,   &    CO.,    PUBLISHERS 
254  WASHINGTON  STREET,  BOSTON 


A  joyons  story.  —  Brooklyn  Eagle. 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF 
CHARLES  EDWARD 


By  HARRISON  RHODES 

Illustrated  by  Penrhyn  Stanlaws 
Cloth,  $1.50 


The  fan  is  genuine.  —  New  York  Sun. 

The  humor  is  subtle  and  delicious.  —  Boston  Herald. 

One  long  series  of  chuckles.  —  St.  Louis  Globe  Democrat. 

A  most  refreshing  novel,  gay,  amusing,  and  fascinating. 

—  London  Sketch. 

Nothing  better  in  a  light  comedy  vein  has  been  issued 
this  season.  —  Springfield  Union. 

A  lively,  humorous  story  which  will  leave  the  reader 
with  a  hearty  liking  for  its  hero  and  heroine.  —  Baltimore 
American. 

The  book  is  enriched  by  numerous  illustrations  of 
Mr.  Stanlaw's  peculiarly  happy  and  up-to-date  type. — 
Baltimore  Sun. 

Charles  Edward  is  as  pleasing  a  person  as  one  could 
meet  in  many  a  day.  He  has  a  most  unusual  sense  of 
humor  and  a  delight  in  the  ludicrous  and  the  unexpected. 

—  The  Bookman. 


LITTLE,   BROWN,   &   CO.,   PUBLISHERS 
254  WASHINGTON  STREET,  BOSTON 


A  fine  masterpiece  of  French  literature.  —  Boston  Times. 


THE  WEIGHT  OF 

THE  NAME 


By  PAUL  BOURGET 

Translated  by  GEORGE  BURNHAM  IVES 
12mo.     Cloth.     $1.50 


A  remarkable  book.  —  Providence  Journal. 

Easily  the  leader  among  recent  works  of  fiction.  —  New  York 
World. 

The  story  gains  immensely  in  vitality  over  his  earlier  work, 
because  he  has  put  his  heart  in  it.  —  Outlook,  New  York. 

There  is  a  profound  knowledge  of  human  character  that 
lifts  this  novel  above  the  plane  of  ordinary  fiction  writing.  — 
Springfield  Union. 

The  book  is  more  than  a  love  story  of  rare  excellence  ;  it  is 
a  picture  of  the  social  and  political  situation  in  the  France 
of  to-day.  — New  Haven  Journal  and  Courier. 

Once  in  its  grip  there  is  no  escaping  its  tragic  pathos.  .  .  . 
The  story  is  especially  appealing  to  the  imagination. — 
Nathan  Haskell  Dole  in  New  York  Evening  Post. 

A  powerfully  told  story,  dramatic  and  poignant.  It  touches 
the  great  emotions  and  lays  bare  people's  very  souls.  Paul 
Bourget  employs  high  literary  skill,  and  this  story  reveals 
his  mastery  of  the  art  of  making  fiction.  —  Philadelphia  Record. 


LITTLE,  BROWN,  &   CO.,  PUBLISHERS 
254  WASHINGTON  STREET,  BOSTON 


The  Book  President  Roosevelt  Recommends 


AUNT 
JANE  OF  KENTUCKY 


By  ELIZA   CALVERT  HALL 

Illustrated  by  Beulah  Strong.     12mo.     Cloth.     $1.50 


Aunt  Jane  is  perfectly  delightful.  —  The  Outlook,  New 
York. 

A  book  that  plays  on  the  heart  strings.  —  St.  Louis 
Post-Despatch. 

What  Mrs.  Gaskill  did  in  "  Cranford  "  this  author  does 
for  Kentucky.  —  Syracuse  Herald. 

A  prose  idyl.  Nothing  more  charming  has  appeared 
in  recent  fiction.  —  MARGARET  E.  SANGSTER. 

These  pages  have  in  them  much  of  the  stuff  that  makes 
genuine  literature.  —  Louisville  Courier  Journal. 

Where  so  many  have  made  caricatures  of  old-time 
country  folk,  Eliza  Calvert  Hall  has  caught  at  once  the 
real  charm,  the  real  spirit,  the  real  people,  and  the  real 
joy  of  living  which  was  theirs.  —  New  York  Times. 

Have  you  read  that  charming  little  book  written  by  one 
of  your  clever  Kentucky  women  —  "  Aunt  Jane  of  Ken 
tucky" —  by  Eliza  Calvert  Hall?  It  is  very  wholesome 
and  attractive.  Be  sure  that  you  read  it.  — PRESIDENT 
THEODORE  ROOSEVELT. 


LITTLE,  BROWN,  &    CO.,   PUBLISHERS 
254  WASHIKGTOV  STREET,  BOSTOK 


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